Ash's Journey Through Hoenn
by Knight of Kanto
Summary: After parting from Brock and Misty, Ash has an epiphany. Months later he journey's to Hoenn taking his first steps on the path to be the Pokémon Master he had always dreamt of being
1. Ash's Epiphany

Hey guys this is the start of the updated version of this story. I'm hoping that this will be a massive improvement on the original.

Here's the first chapter I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it.

"- Human speech

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

As Ash walked back to Pallet Town after his tearful parting with Brock and Misty, he wasn't really focussed on where he was going his focus was entirely on the gifts Misty and Brock had given him a few hours ago. As he walked along holding the items Ash was remembering all the memories he had shared with Misty and Brock, both good and bad. He suddenly came to a stop as a thought came to mind and it made him realise something that would change him as a trainer.

Pikachu looked at his friend wondering why they had stopped. The look on Ash's face had him worried, he knew that parting from Misty and Brock would affect Ash but he didn't think he would take it this hard. He rubbed his cheek against Ash's which shifted his attention from the items to Pikachu.

"Hey buddy what's up?"

'Ash you're worrying me.'

Ash looked to the concerned mouse on his shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry Pikachu. I've just been doing some thinking and when we get back to Pallet I need to talk to you and the other's about something very important, okay."

Pikachu reluctantly nodded, Ash's response had done nothing to lessen his worry for his trainer but he let him be for now. Ash took a few steps forward and then started looking in all directions. He then mumbled.

"Right now where is the flock."

Pikachu was bemused.

'Flock, what flock?'

"Oh sorry buddy, I'm looking for the flock we left Pidgeot with. I made a promise to her to come get her after the Orange Archipelago and I didn't. Well now I'm gonna fix that."

Pikachu couldn't believe he had forgotten about the loyal Pidgeot. He had to admit that he was excited to see her again after all this time. As they walked to the area Ash thought he had left Pidgeot, Pikachu had a Thunderbolt prepared in case the Fearow that hates Ash was in the area and decided to attack. Pikachu then caught something out the corner of his eye, he leapt off Ash's shoulder and fired the bolt of electricity, but he was stunned to see it had been easily batted away. As Pikachu prepared another attack the figure came out with its wing still metallic and stood in front of Ash. Pikachu stopped preparing the attack when the Pokémon came into full view. Ash walked forward and threw his arms around the bird.

"Pidgeot it's great to see you."

Pidgeot wrapped a wing around Ash in return.

'You too Ash.'

Pikachu jumped back on to Ash's shoulder and gave Pidgeot a thumbs up.

'Hey Pidgeot, long time no see.'

'Hello Pikachu. That was the best Thunderbolt I've seen for a long time.'

'But you batted it aside like it was nothing.'

Pidgeot let out a chuckle.

'Just something I learned to defend myself from electric types.'

Ash watched the interaction between them and smiled, he then remembered why he was here.

"Hey Pidgeot I came to see if you wanted to come and travel with me again."

She nodded and then looked over to where the flock was nesting. Ash understood what Pidgeot was implying.

"You need to tell the other's before you leave."

She nodded and flew off.

"It's great that Pidgeot wants to travel with us again isn't it Pikachu."

'Yep.'

A few minutes later Pidgeot was back, Ash could see by the look in her eyes that it had been an emotional parting much like his with Brock and Misty. Ash took a poke ball and captured Pidgeot, he quickly sent her back out.

"Hey Pidgeot do you think you could give us a ride to Pallet Town?"

'Sure Ash.'

She lowered her body so Ash could get on but as he was about to get on Pidgeot they heard some familiar voices.

"Prepare for trouble."

"And make it double."

Ash groaned.

"Oh for the love of Arceus."

The motto that had driven Ash crazy for the last 4 years stopped and Jesse, James and Meowth appeared. Ash saw that they had lost the Team Rocket garb and were just wearing normal everyday clothes. Pikachu's cheeks were crackling and was ready to Thunderbolt them.

"I'm really not in the mood to deal with you guys right now. Pikachu Thunderbolt."

The trio had a look of fear on their face.

"Wait we're not here to steal your Pokémon. Please just give us a chance to explain."

Ash was dubious but he looked around and they had no contraption to try to capture his Pokémon with and they hadn't sent out any of their Pokémon so they were no real threat.

"Ok Pikachu let's give them a chance don't shock them."

Pikachu nodded and stopped charging the attack. Ash was about to ask them what they want but then he spotted something on Jessie's hand and on closer inspection he saw it was a ring.

"So you two finally got together, took you long enough."

Jesse, James and Meowth were all wide eyed. They were all wondering how someone who has been oblivious to anything not related to Pokémon over the past 4 years had grasped this so quickly. They looked at Ash who was smirking and Jesse realised something.

"It appears you are more intelligent than you let on."

Ash kept on smirking and he nodded. James then said.

"Yes well we quit Team Rocket so me and Jesse are going to settle down."

"Where are you going then?"

"Unova, my parents owned a villa out in Undella Town."

Ash had gone on vacation to Undella Town when he was younger and from what he could remember it was a popular place by the ocean. He had to admit he was happy for them for 2 reason the first being that they'd finally got together and the second being the fact that now they'd finally leave him alone. Ash then thought about what James had said and noticed that he'd said me and Jesse but hadn't mentioned Meowth. He looked at Meowth wondering what his plans are.

"So Meowth what are gonna do now?"

Ash was surprised to see the usually composed cat looked nervous.

"Well I was kinda hoping dat you'd train me."

Ash was stunned that Meowth wanted to train with him instead of taking an easy life with Jessie and James. He was more than happy to have Meowth come with him as he could see in his eyes that there was a desire to be strong. Also Meowth could be a translator which would allow Ash to know what Pokémon were saying.

"Okay Meowth, but you realise the training will be tough."

"I know."

"Well I have to capture you, don't worry I'll let you straight back out."

Meowth nodded and Ash presented a poke ball which Meowth touched and allowed himself to be captured. Ash quickly let the cat out of the poke ball and Meowth climbed up Ash's arm and stood on his free shoulder. After an emotional goodbye the couple started walking north leaving Ash, Meowth, Pikachu and Pidgeot on the path. Ash got on to Pidgeot and looked to the Pokémon on his shoulders making sure they had a tight grip. He gave Pidgeot a nod and she shot off like a jet straight to Pallet Town.

* * *

Pidgeot landed on the outskirts of Pallet a few minutes later. Ash thanked her and returned her promising to let her back out soon. He walked towards Professor Oak's Lab, although Ash missed his mother and wanted so see her again he wanted to talk to his Pokémon first. When Ash got to the lab he knocked on the door which opened revealing his travelling companion from the Orange Archipelago.

"Hey Tracey, how are you?"

"Fine thanks Ash. I'm guessing that you're here to see your Pokémon."

"Yeah I have something important to talk to them about."

Tracey then spotted Meowth on Ash's shoulder.

"Wait is that Team Rocket's Meowth?"

"Don't worry I quit Team Rocket and now I'm on your side."

Tracey raised an eyebrow not at all convinced. Ash saw the look and pulled Meowth's poke ball off his belt and returned him. Tracey eyes were now the size of dinner plates, he couldn't believe that Meowth had allowed himself to be captured. Ash let Meowth back out and the cat took his place on Ash's shoulder.

"I can't believe he let you capture him. So he really is on our side now."

"Yep he is telling the truth."

"So can I see my Pokémon now?"

Tracey nodded and stepped aside letting Ash in. He went out the back door to the pasture, the minute he walked outside the ground shook as a group of Pokémon were now stampeding towards him. He was surrounded by all the Pokémon he'd captured to his surprise Charizard was here not at Charific Valley. When the Pokémon saw Meowth several of them started to charge an attack however a quick explanation from Pikachu calmed them down.

"Guys I've got an old friend to introduce to you and there is something important I need to tell you."

Ash threw the poke ball and Pidgeot was revealed, the ones who recognised her quickly stepped forward and they began talking and introducing her to the others. The Pokémon quickly turned their attention back to Ash curious what was so important.

"Okay everyone I've been a trainer for over four years now and I have realised I haven't been a particularly good trainer."

He was cut off by the protests of his Pokémon. He raised a hand and they quietened down.

"Wait let me finish, I know I have treated you well, but I have failed you. During our travels I have very rarely given you proper training, sure I had the odd mock battle with Brock and Misty but that's just not good enough. Also most of the moves you have all learned were in battle, there are not many of your moves that I can take credit for even helping you with. On the way home I realised that I relied too much on Brock and Misty"

His Pokémon looked away silent, they wouldn't admit it but they knew that what he said was true.

"But that changes now. I am going to have a word with my mother to see if she can teach me things like cooking and other travelling essentials and I'll ask Professor Oak if he can help me improve my knowledge of Pokémon so I can be a better trainer. What I will say is that our training regime will be incredibly tough so prepare yourselves"

The Pokémon all cried out enthusiastically and Ash smiled at it. He turned around and went back inside to find Professor Oak. He found the Professor talking with Tracey about something on the monitor they were looking at, it appeared to be a fossil but it looked nothing like the Helix or Dome fossils he knew.

"Hey Professor."

"Ah hello Ash, Tracey told me you'd arrived. You just missed Gary I'm afraid."

"Where's he gone?"

"He's gone to the Hoenn region and only taken his Blastoise with him, he intends to go around the region and catch a new team."

Ash couldn't see the logic there, surely taking his older Pokémon to help train his newer ones would have made more sense. But Ash had more important things to do than question his rivals motives.

"Are you intending to do the same Ash?"

"No, although I would like to travel to Hoenn in the future right now I have something important to ask you?"

"Sure Ash go ahead."

"I was wondering if you would teach me more about Pokémon, like their habitats, diets, moves and abilities."

"Sure Ash, but you do realise it won't be easy."

"Yes Professor I know, can you teach in the mornings so I can train in the afternoon?"

"Okay Ash, get here for 7am tomorrow."

Both Tracey and Professor Oak were expected quite a reaction from Ash at the thought of getting up that early. But they were stunned when he happily replied with a simple ok. Both of their jaws dropped at Ash agreeing to such an early start and happily at that. Ash looked at them and was bemused at what had caused their strange behaviour, he walked to the door.

"Ok I'll see you both tomorrow."

They nodded in response and watched him leave. Ash exited the lab with Pikachu and Meowth chuckling at the look on their faces which made Ash do the same, he walked toward his home happy that he would get to see his mother again.

* * *

He got to his house and knocked on the door. A few seconds later it flew open and before Ash had time to even say hello he was pulled into a bone crushing hug, he croaked out.

"Mum can't breathe."

She released her hold on him and led him to the kitchen where she had prepared a massive meal for him. His mouth watered and he near enough pounced on the food and started demolishing it, at the same time Pikachu was guzzling a giant bottle of ketchup. Meowth on the other hand was actually taking time to enjoy the food as he had never had a meal as incredible as the one he was eating right now. Delia chuckled at her son's behaviour but vowed to teach him proper manners. Once the food had vanished and the table was cleared Ash began telling her about his travels in Johto, she listened intently and scolded him a couple of times for his more dangerous adventures. When he was finished talking Ash looked at his mother, she saw the look and knew he had something to ask. She asked in a concerned tone.

"Ash what's wrong?"

"Nothing mum there is just something I need to ask you."

Delia sat and waited for Ash to continue, she wondered what could be so important.

"Would you mind teaching me how to cook and do other skills I'll need when I go travelling again?"

Delia was stunned she had always thought that she would have to force her son to learn these things but here he was asking her politely. Ash sighed and looked at Pikachu kind of annoyed that people kept giving him the same stunned look.

"Not mum too."

Meowth and Pikachu started laughing but the latter quickly stopped and was holding his stomach, he then bolted off towards the bathroom. Ash was now laughing with Meowth as they could hear Pikachu vomiting, Ash just hoped he'd gotten to the toilet in time.

"I told you that you shouldn't have so much ketchup."

This snapped Delia out of her shocked state and she looked at Ash with pride, she didn't realise how much he had matured.

"Okay Ash I'll teach you all the skills you'll need."

"Thanks mum, do you think we can do this when I get home as in the morning Professor Oak is teaching me more about the finer details of Pokémon and I'm training in the afternoon."

"Okay Ash, that's no problem."

Both mother and son yawned neither had realised just how late it had gotten.

"Thanks mum."

He yawned again and then left the room and took a bucket with him, he remembered the last time Pikachu had overdone it on the ketchup and had no desire to wake up in a vomit filled bed. He walked to the bathroom and picked up Pikachu who had lost consciousness and went to his room to get some sleep for tomorrow when he would truly start on his path to become a Pokémon Master. Meowth followed him but stood in the middle of the room unsure where he would sleep. Ash pulled Meowth into the bed with him and Pikachu, the action surprised the cat but he quickly relaxed and fell asleep. Ash smiled at the 2 Pokémon and then joined them in slumber.

* * *

Ash woke up early the next morning, he looked at the time and was relieved to see that his alarm clock had worked. He stretched his limbs out and got out of bed to get ready for the day. He raced downstairs and quickly ate his breakfast. He thanked his mum and walked to Professor Oak's Lab finding that he had arrived 15 minutes early, he knocked on the door and saw Tracey who was again stunned.

"Morning Tracey."

"Hey Ash, you're eager aren't you."

"I am taking this seriously Tracey, I want to learn so I can be a better trainer."

Tracey let Ash in and closed the door, he was amazed at the determination in Ash's voice and the mature look in his eyes. Tracey knew that Ash was going to work as hard as possible and Tracey like the Professor had a lot of faith in Ash. Professor Oak heard the door to his office open and turned around to see Ash and Tracey.

"Hello Ash. You arrived early."

"Yeah well if you don't mind Professor I'd like to get started."

"Ok come with me then."

Ash followed the Professor to a room that had a couple of desks in front of a blackboard on the wall. There were also several books on the desks. Ash took a seat and Professor Oak went to the blackboard and the lesson began. The morning was spent teaching Ash the basics of every known Pokémon, Ash was amazed how little he had actually known about Pokémon and was more than grateful that Professor Oak was taking the time to teach him. They finished at lunch, as Ash went to leave he remembered he had a couple of questions for the Professor.

"Hey Professor, do you have any training weights for Pokémon and do you have any I can use to train, I want to grow stronger alongside them."

"Yes I do, if you go down the hall you'll find a room that is filled with training equipment the humans and Pokémon. I recommend you all start on the lightest weights and work your way up."

"Ok thanks Professor. Could you also do me a favour and see if anyone wants to trade for some of my Tauros? I have far too many and I think that trading them to someone will benefit everyone."

"I'll look into it Ash."

Ash thanked the Professor and followed his instructions, he found the room and went inside. Ash looked around in awe, the Professor wasn't lying when he said the room was filled with training gear. He looked through all of the equipment until he finally came to the basic weights. He selected some for all of his Pokémon and took the gear outside. Upon seeing the weights his Pokémon were excited to start training although some seemed a little disappointed that they didn't appear to be that heavy. However as he attached the weights one by one to his Pokémon they realised that looks can be deceiving and they were surprised at how heavy they actually were. Ash told them that when they were stronger they would go up to the next weight level making them wonder how heavy the next set would be.

They all had some weights placed on their arms and legs, the flying types had them placed on their wings to improve speed and dodging and the ones with tails had some placed there to strengthen them for future moves like Iron Tail. After Ash put his own weights on they began running/flying laps for as long as possible. They worked harder than they ever had before, Ash had pushed them as hard as he dared but he also made sure to push himself just as hard and by the end of their training session his Pokémon had sweat pouring off them and many of them collapsed from exhaustion. Ash had felt guilty when he saw them that tired however a look in their eyes told him that they had actually enjoyed the tough training. Satisfied with the days' work he left the coral and talked with Professor Oak.

"Hey Professor how long do you think it will take to teach me all that you can? You see I want to compete in the Hoenn League this year."

The Professor rubbed his chin as he considered his answer.

"Well Ash we both know that you are a lot more intelligent than you let on."

Ash nodded because it was true. Ash had since the start of his journey played dumb, it was a lot easier for him to be dumb and oblivious than intelligent and have to explain to every girl he'd met why he didn't reciprocate their feelings. He was sure one day it would come back to bite him but that wouldn't be for a long time... hopefully. He was drawn out of his thoughts by Professor Oak.

"So I'd say if you work hard it will take three months at the most."

Ash was happy with that, it left him plenty of time to compete in the Hoenn League when the training was done.

"Okay that's great thanks again Professor."

"Don't worry about it Ash."

Ash left and went home he was tired, but he still had more than enough energy to learn the skills his mother was going to teach him. He knew that over time the days would get easier and gradually they did, after just a weeks' training he was more alert and got a lot more accomplished in a day. His mother, Tracey and Professor Oak were impressed with how well he had handled everything. He was a quick learner which made their jobs a heck of a lot easier.

After the second week of the training program he'd made for his Pokémon he decided they were ready to start learning the moves he had planned. So they spent 3 hours warming up and using the weight and then the rest of the afternoon was spent learning the new moves. After seeing what Pidgeot had done against Pikachu's Thunderbolt Ash decided that the first thing they should do is learn a steel move like Iron Tail or Steel Wing for anyone who could learn them. He asked his Pokémon what they thought and after Pikachu and Pidgeot demonstrated what had happened in the forest they all agreed that it was an excellent idea. As they started using the Steel moves he then thought of a variant as there may be times where they wouldn't have time to deflect the attack so he came up with a way to transfer the electricity into the ground. He asked Pidgeot to use Steel Wing but ram the metallic wing into the ground, she did so and when Pikachu hit her with a Thunderbolt the electricity transferred into the ground leaving her unscathed.

Once the Steel moves had been mastered the next move they worked on was an evasion move either Double Team or Dig depending on their size. Ash had looked back on previous battles and realised how important dodging was and that his Pokémon would have been much better off dodging instead of taking attacks head on as he had let them do so many times in the past.

After they had perfected the evasion moves the training time was mainly just using heavier weights to increase their strength, speed and stamina or mock battles to test out new moves. Wartortle actually created a new technique by mistake. He had been battling Bayleaf to improve his abilities against foes who had the advantage over him. She used Bullet Seed, he managed to leap over the horde of seeds but had misjudged his jump and he landed on his back. Suddenly another wave was headed his way so he began shooting several Water Gun's to block the seeds which he did but not in the way he imagined. Due to him being on his back firing the Water Gun's had made him start spinning so the Water Gun's ended up creating a vortex which blocked Bayleaf's attack. All of his comrades were amazed at what they saw and began trying to do a similar thing which several of them managed to do. Ash after some thoughts decided to call it the Counter Shield.

* * *

After that time seemed to pass by quickly and before he knew it Ash had been home for 3 months. Ash now knew how to survive on his own thanks to his mother's teachings, she'd taught him everything from cooking to sewing. Also his knowledge of Pokémon had grown considerably thanks to Professor Oak and Tracey and because he had learnt much quicker than they had anticipated they started to go into more detailed studies regarding the newly discovered Fairy type. Ash had also become a lot stronger physically thanks to training alongside his Pokémon. His Pokémon had grown a lot stronger too thanks to the weight training. Ash had been surprised when Bulbasaur and Squirtle chose to evolve as neither had shown any desire to evolve before. This was especially true for Bulbasaur as he had shown such a disdain for evolution, but both Pokémon realised they had reached a wall that they could not get past unless they evolved.

Today was the last day Ash was spending in Pallet before starting his journey in Hoenn and he was fully intent on actually conquering the region. He sat on the field and watched as his Pokémon were now having mock battles for a bit of last minute practice before they left. He saw Pikachu battling Wartortle, the latter had used Ash's idea of using Iron Tail on the ground to negate electric attacks during the entire battle meaning Pikachu's biggest strength had been completely neutralised. Ash was impressed how well Pikachu had done without his electric attacks. He had used his superior speed to his advantage but as Pikachu began to tire Wartortle had an easy shot at Pikachu and seeing his opportunity he hit the mouse with a Skull Bash which ended the battle. Pikachu got back to his feet and both Pokémon shook hands, Wartortle then went over to Ivysaur and started chatting while Pikachu walked to Ash looking depressed.

"Cheer up buddy. You were at a serious disadvantage due to you being unable to use electric attacks. I'm proud of you."

Pikachu looked down still feeling miserable he knew that a couple of months ago he could have won that battle. Ash looked at his best friend sadly, he really hated seeing Pikachu like this. His stomach then rumbled and that made him think of a way to cheer his buddy up.

"Hey I'm gonna go get everyone's food. Wait here okay. I'll make sure to put extra ketchup on."

Pikachu still kept his gaze down and nodded. Ash sighed and stood up, he walked into the lab and began making lunch completely oblivious to the fact that when he got up something had fallen out of his pocket. Pikachu had though and he saw that it was the Thunderstone which was now lying there, he knew Ash always carried it just in case it was needed. As he looked at the Thunderstone thoughts were racing through Pikachu's head. Would Ash leave him here now that he wasn't one of the strongest? Would Ash ever battle with him again? Pikachu knew that these thoughts were irrational but he couldn't get them out of his head. There was a way he would become stronger and it was sat in front of him. At that moment Pikachu made a decision that he knew could not be undone, he reached out and touched the stone. He glowed white causing everyone to turn and see what was causing the blinding light and they were all shocked to see that the light was coming from Pikachu.

* * *

Notes

Yes I know I put Counter Shield in again, but it is just too good a technique to not use.

In general it will not follow the anime however some parts will be used.

For those of you who read the original I hope you enjoyed this new version.

I really would appreciate some reviews saying what you liked/didn't like even if you only do it for this chapter.

Ash:

Kanto – Pikachu, Ivysaur, Wartortle, Charizard, Pidgeot, Kingler, Muk, Tauros(x30) & Snorlax

Johto – Totodile, Bayleaf, Cyndaquil, Heracross, Noctowl (Shiny) & Phanpy


	2. The Journey Begins

Thanks for the reviews guys I really appreciate you taking the time to write one. I'm glad that you all seem to enjoy the re-write.

Here's chapter 2 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it.

"- Human speech

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Inside the lab Ash was putting the finishing touches on the food for his Pokémon and had put most of it on the trolleys. He was just adding some ketchup to Pikachu's meal when he saw a bright light coming from outside. Ash had been a trainer long enough to know that the light was coming from a Pokémon evolving, he just wondered who it was. He was expecting it to be Totodile or Cyndaquil as they had both been showing signs of being on the verge of evolving. Ash walked outside to watch which Pokémon was evolving and what he saw shocked him. Ash quickly stuck his hand in his pocket and to his horror found that the Thunderstone was no longer there. He couldn't believe that this was happening, he looked at the rest of his Pokémon and they had similar looks on their faces. The light eventually died down revealing a Raichu who looked around and saw the still shocked looks on everyone's faces. He wasn't that surprised at their expressions as he knew that his decision is rather unexpected. His eyes eventually fell on Ash who was rooted to the spot. Raichu ran to his best friend and tried to jump on to his shoulder however he had forgotten that he was now 5 times heavier than before. The extra weight caused Ash to fall to the ground. Ash groaned but quickly pulled Raichu into a hug, the mouse rubbed his cheek against Ash's in return. Ash finally found his voice and asked.

"Pika... I mean Raichu why did you choose to evolve?"

'I wanted to be stronger and knew that I couldn't reach my full potential as a Pikachu.'

Ash had gotten the gist of Raichu was saying he just hoped he hadn't done this just because Wartortle beat him.

"Please tell me you didn't do this just because Wartortle beat you?"

Raichu shook his head.

'No, that was the last straw that broke the Camerupt's back. Over the last few weeks I've seen the improvements Ivysaur and Wartortle have made and well I knew that this was something I had to do.'

"Well if you are happy with this then I am too. I always said it was your choice and you'll always be my buddy no matter what you look like."

Raichu sighed in relief, he was glad that Ash approved of his choice. As he thought about it he wasn't really hating his evolved form like he thought he would. He could feel the massive increase in both his electrical and physical power and he was liking it. Raichu got off of Ash and followed him inside the lab. When Raichu saw his meal sat on the counter he jumped on to the counter and after Ash put on a layer of ketchup Raichu began inhaling the food. Ash chuckled at Raichu's antics he was glad that he hadn't changed in that department. Ash put the last bowl of food on the trolleys and said.

"Raichu come outside when you're done. I wanna see how your evolution has affected your power."

Raichu stopped eating long enough to nod and then he quickly began scoffing his food again. Ash pushed the trolleys outside leaving Raichu to keep stuffing his face. When he got outside he placed the bowls of food on the floor, his Pokémon had watched him all the way and as soon as the bowls were on the ground they charged over and began eating their food. Snorlax finished first and almost immediately fell to sleep. Ash would never be able to thank his mother and Professor Oak enough for finding a recipe that would fill Snorlax's stomach with a small amount of food. It would save a lot of money in the long run. Raichu walked outside not long after and went to Ash, he jumped on to his shoulder making Ash nearly fall again.

"Raichu you've gotta warn me before you do that."

Raichu looked down, he had to remember that he was a lot heavier than he used to be. He looked sadly at Ash.

'Ok sorry Ash.'

"Don't worry about it. It's just gonna take a while to get used to you being a bit heavier than before. So Raichu are you ready to show off your power."

A smirk was now plastered across Raichu's face.

'I sure am Ash.'

Ash smiled he was glad he heard that determination in Raichu's voice it was something he had not had in weeks. This made Ash wonder how long this had been bothering his best friend. Ash looked around the coral trying to find something Raichu could test his new abilities on and then he spotted a boulder.

"Hey Raichu use Thunderbolt on that boulder."

All the Pokémon stopped what they were doing so they could see how powerful Raichu now was. Raichu fired a bolt of electricity at the boulder which obliterated it, all that remained were a few tiny pebbles that rained from the sky. Everyone was dumbstruck, they knew he was powerful for a Pikachu but this was ridiculous. Raichu looked at his comrades and saw that they were all amazed and even Charizard looked to be impressed with his display of power. Ash was the first to recover from the shock and said.

"Holy crap Raichu. That was amazing"

Raichu stood looking around while he rubbed the back of his head.

'Thanks Ash.'

Ash then had Raichu run laps and compare the times with the ones he set as a Pikachu and was amazed that his evolution had increased his speed and stamina so much. Ash had to admit he was very impressed by his friends new power, he just hoped Raichu wouldn't someday come to regret his choice.

After spending a little more time at the ranch Ash decided to leave his Pokémon to relax for the rest of the day so he could spend some time with his mother before he left for Hoenn. He got home and they talked for a few hours although it was mostly small talk they just enjoyed spending time together. It was around 6 o'clock when Delia told Ash to get washed up as she prepared the last meal he'd have before leaving. Ash went and did as he was told. He asked his mother how long dinner would be and found that he had about 10 minutes so he went upstairs to his room to choose what outfit he'd wear to Hoenn. He rummaged through his closet but sadly the only things he had were similar to what he had worn in Kanto and Johto and to be honest that wasn't the kind of practical clothing he wanted. He closed the door and he sighed. He'd just have to get something when he gets to Hoenn.

He heard his mother call up to him and he went downstairs. He sat at the table and had the last home cooked meal he'd have for a long while. He didn't inhale food as he used to, the first thing his mother had taught him were proper manners as she had refused to teach him anything else until he acted like a gentleman. Raichu on the other hand hadn't learned a thing and had drenched his food in ketchup and obliterated it in seconds. After spending a bit more time with his mother Ash started to feel tired, he wanted to get a good nights' sleep so he was ready for tomorrow. He said goodnight to his mother and went up to his room quickly falling into a deep sleep. Delia had stayed downstairs as she still had to finish the surprise she had been working on.

* * *

Next morning Ash woke up bright and early as had been doing for the past few months. He got himself ready and shot downstairs having just enough time for him, Meowth and Raichu to get a slice of toast. He ran out of the house headed towards Professor Oak's lab to pick the Pokémon he was taking with him. He arrived there in a couple of minutes and knocked on the door which opened moments later and Ash was greeted by Tracey.

"Hey Ash, I'm guessing you're here to pick which Pokémon you're taking to Hoenn."

"Yep."

"Well Professor Oak wants a word with you first."

"Ok lead the way."

Ash followed Tracey to Professor Oak's study. The Professor looked engrossed in a study that Professor Birch had sent him but when he heard Ash enter the room he stopped his reading immediately and turned to the young trainer.

"Ah Ash my boy you're here early as usual."

"Yeah well I want to get going early so I can get to Vermillion City in time to catch the boat that is leaving for Hoenn today."

"Very well I won't keep you long. There are just a couple of things I want to give you before you leave."

The Professor opened a draw on his desk and pulled a couple of things out.

"This Ash is an updated Pokédex. It will tell you the ability, move set, gender and many other facts about the Pokémon being scanned."

Ash was amazed how much of an upgrade this is from his old Pokédex, he took the device and placed it in his pocket.

"And this is a Pokénav. A friend of mine in Devon Corp sent it here but I think you will have more use for it than me. It has a built-in map and phone. Devon are supposed to be making upgrades so when you get to Rustboro you could ask them to take a look at it."

The Professor gave the device to Ash which he placed in his other pocket.

"Wow Professor these are amazing thanks a lot."

"No problem Ash. There is one last thing I have upped your Pokémon limit from six to twelve as you said you intend to take older Pokémon with you 6 wouldn't leave much room for new ones."

Ash was astonished, he'd been given two pieces of high tech equipment and now the Professor was doing this too.

"Thanks Professor. You've done so much for me. I really can't thank you enough."

"It's no problem Ash. Now go and choose your Pokémon and get home to your mother."

Ash nodded and went into the coral, when they saw him his Pokémon flooded around him.

"Listen up everyone Professor Oak has upped my limit so I will take four of you with me. Remember it will be rotation so you will all be called up at some point."

They nodded hoping they'd be the first to go. Ash looked through his Pokémon for a moment and finally settled on his chosen 4.

"Totodile, Cyndaquil, Pidgeot and Phanpy you're coming with me first."

They cheered happily and Ash returned them, he then put their poke balls on his belt. He looked to his other Pokémon, many of them were grumbling at not being chosen.

"Hey cheer up guys. Like I said you will all be called up at some point so I'll see you all soon."

His Pokémon nodded in response. Ash turned and left waving goodbye to his Pokémon who now returned to their earlier activities. Ash said a quick farewell to Tracey and Professor Oak and headed home. When Ash got home he walked inside and hugged his mother. He picked up his new back pack and put it on. Raichu and Meowth took their places on his shoulders and as Ash was about to leave his mother stopped him.

"Ash before you go there is a surprise for you in your room."

Ash shrugged off his back pack and went upstairs. He opened the door to his room and was gobsmacked. Before him stood a mannequin his size which was dressed in a black sleeveless knee-length trench coat, a hooded royal blue long-sleeved shirt, black jeans with multiple pockets on them, brown leather gauntlets and black combat boots that go just above the ankle. Delia walked in and stood next to him, she took a look at his face and smiled at what she saw.

"So by the look on your face I'm guessing you like it. It's taken me a couple of months to make it but I think it was time well spent."

Ash wrapped his arms around his mother and she returned the hug. He pulled back and looked up at her.

"Thanks mum this is incredible."

Delia smiled, she was glad that Ash liked the outfit she made.

"You're welcome. Now try it on."

He quickly stripped the mannequin and she left the room and went downstairs to get the last part of the outfit. Ash walked down a few minutes later wearing the clothes she made.

"These clothes are incredible thanks a lot mum."

Ash looked at Meowth and Raichu who were sat on the couch.

"So what do you guys think?"

Raichu and Meowth gave him a thumbs up. Delia smiled and then remembered the last part of the outfit, she took the belt off the table and handed it to Ash. He took a quick look at it and was shocked to see that it had slots for 12 poke balls as well as his new Pokédex and his Pokénav. Delia had made places for various other items which included a flashlight. He looked at his mother in shock.

"How did you...?"

"Professor Oak told me a couple of weeks after you started training with him that when you were ready he was intending to give you those items. I knew you'd need a way to carry them so I made this for you."

Ash was surprised that Professor Oak had planned this and that his mother had managed to keep it a secret all this time. He put the belt on and slotted his poke balls, Pokédex and Pokénav into the slots, he hugged his mother again and walked to the door.

"I'll call you as soon as I get to Hoenn."

"Okay Ash. Have fun and remember to change your underwear every day."

Ash's face went bright red as Raichu and Meowth laughed hysterically.

"Mum I'm fourteen now you don't need to remind me to do that."

"I know honey but old habits die hard. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you to mum."

Ash opened the door and started walking towards Route 1. Delia watched him with a tear in her eye, she stood outside the house with Mimey and they waved at the trio who did the same until they were out of sight. Delia stood outside for a moment longer feeling incredibly proud that Ash had matured so much and then followed Mimey back inside.

* * *

Ash got to the outskirts of Pallet Town when he heard someone yelling behind him.

"Ash wait."

Ash stopped and turned around to see Tracey with his hands on his knees and he was breathing heavily.

"Hey Tracey why are you here?"

Tracey took a few moments to fill his lungs with air before he started talking.

"Well you see Professor Oak found someone who wanted a Tauros."

Ash had honestly forgotten that he'd asked Professor Oak to do that for him. After a month of Professor Oak telling him that due to how common Tauros were in Kanto and Johto nobody really wanted one Ash gave up hoping that he could trade them. Tracey then said.

"So he told me to give you this."

Tracey took a poke ball out of his pocket and presented it to Ash. He took the offered poke ball and asked.

"So what's inside?"

"Take a look for yourself."

Ash opened the poke ball and revealed a Pokémon that is primarily a bluish black colour with three bright red feathers for its tail and a single one on its left ear. The ear feather seemed shorter indicating that it was a female. On her forehead and chest are yellow, oval markings. She has red eyes with black eyelash-like marking on the edges. Her feet and hands have two large, retractable claws each.

"Wow a Sneasel."

Ash hadn't been expecting to get such a good Pokémon through trading his Tauros. He didn't have any Dark or Ice types so Sneasel will be an excellent addition to the team.

"The Professor also said that he only has access to traders in Kanto and Johto so you may have more luck if you go to the Global Trade Station in Hoenn."

"Ok I'll make sure to stop there at some point."

Tracey shook Ash's hand and said.

"Good luck Ash."

"Thanks Tracey. I'll see you after I win the Hoenn League."

Tracey gave a small nod, he turned around and walked back to the lab. Ash then crouched down to Sneasel's level.

"Hey I'm your new trainer."

Sneasel nodded she understood what that meant basically he told her what to do and she obeyed.

"But before we start working together I'd like to be your friend."

Sneasel was surprised to hear that. Her previous trainer had not treated her badly but they never really had anything other than and master and servant relationship so this human talking about friendship was shocking. She looked to the powerful looking Pokémon stood on the humans shoulders and she could tell by the look in their eyes that what the human no what Ash said was true. Ash then extended his arm and asked.

"So what do ya say?"

The kindness in his voice, the determination in his eyes and the strong appearance of his Pokémon was all the evidence Sneasel needed. She put her clawed hand in Ash's and shook it. Ash smiled he wasn't sure how Sneasel would react and was just glad that she was on side.

"Great. So let's get going."

Sneasel nodded and then let a squeak of surprised as Ash scooped her up. It felt strange to be held like this as her previous trainer had never done this. She found herself liking this and she snuggled in his embrace. Ash smiled and started walking down Route 1 hoping that there would be no more delays.

* * *

Ash, Raichu, Sneasel and Meowth were not that far from Vermillion City now. Ash had decided against flying on Pidgeot so he could spend time talking with Sneasel and find out a bit more about her. From the stories she had told them Ash had come to the conclusion that she was quite the prankster. Although almost all of her stories were about times when her trainer wasn't with her. They were about a mile from Vermillion and were talking but then Ash heard Pokémon cries. He knew that something was up because those cries were pain filled. He went in the direction he heard the cries and saw 3 Team Rocket Agents attacking a pair of shiny Eeveelutions an Espeon and an Umbreon. Both of them were clearly unable to battle and were now being brutally beaten, this enraged Ash and his Pokémon. Ash looked to Raichu and Meowth and said.

"Both of you use Thunderbolt."

They jumped off Ash's shoulders and both fired a bolt of electricity that arced off to all of the Team Rocket Pokémon which knocked almost all of the out. The only survivors were an Arbok and a Weezing and they were struggling to stay up. The grunts glared at Ash and yelled.

"Weezing and Arbok use Sludge Bomb."

"Use Quick Attack then follow up with Iron Tail."

Weezing and Arbok shot several globs of purple sludge at Raichu and Meowth who shot off at an amazing speed and easily avoided the toxic sludge. They managed to dodge all the sludge and rammed into Arbok and Weezing knocking both Pokémon back. Raichu and Meowth then leapt into the air and their tails turned metallic silver and they slammed them into Weezing and Arbok which sent them crashing into the other Pokémon. Weezing then accidently released a thick fog of poisonous gas around them. Ash smirked.

"Now get rid of them with one more Thunderbolt and this time don't hold back."

Raichu and Meowth nodded and they released a couple of immensely powerful bolts of electricity at them, the electricity caused the gas to explode and send the defeated grunts and their Pokémon flying into the sky. They watched the Team Rocket members until they were out of sight.

"You know it's gonna sound strange but I'm gonna miss seeing that."

Ash and Raichu laughed, Meowth grumbled at the comment and Sneasel looked at the trio wondering what was so funny. Ash stopped laughing when he saw the unconscious Eeveelutions who were lying motionless on the ground. He knelt down next to them and began using the techniques he'd learned in the last three months doing everything he could to heal their wounds. After a while the Eeveelutions woke up they both felt exhausted both physically and mentally however their wounds didn't hurt anywhere near as much as they had done. The Eeveelutions managed to get to their feet and went over to Ash. The Espeon stared intently at him for a moment and the jewel on her forehead lit up for just a second. She then turned to the Umbreon and they appeared to be having a conversation through telepathy. They both nodded and the Espeon then went into a den behind them. She came out a moment later with an egg, she walked back and was now stood next to the Umbreon. Ash then heard a voice in his head.

'Human could you kneel down please?'

Ash nodded, the telepathy didn't really surprise him as he had met so many Legendary Pokémon that have used the same way of communicating. He knelt down to their level and to his surprise the egg was placed in his arms which confused Ash.

"Why have you given me your egg?"

'You saved us and our children from those men when you could have left us. I looked into your mind and saw that you are kind-hearted, honourable and selfless. We would be honoured if you would train our child.'

Ash clutched the egg to his chest.

"The honour would be all mine. Thank you. I promise I'll take good care of your child and someday I'll return so you can meet your child."

'Thank you.'

Ash nodded and got to his feet. Raichu and Meowth took their places on Ash's shoulders and seeing that the egg was now in his arms Sneasel was now on Ash's head. Ash gave a quick wave to the Eeveelutions and turned around the Eeveelutions watched Ash walk away both knowing that they had made the right choice. An hour later Ash walked into Vermillion City his destination being the Pokémon Centre. He walked inside and saw Nurse Joy sat behind her desk looking incredibly bored she perked up when she saw Ash.

"Hello Ash. Do you want an incubator for that egg?"

"Yes please. I was also wondering if you could give it some scans to make sure everything is okay."

"Sure I'd be happy to do that. Follow me."

She walked through a door which led to a room that was dedicated solely to eggs Ash followed her in and gave her the egg. She placed it in an incubator and then put the incubator on a scanning machine. The machine began making a series of noises and printed out a sheet of paper which had several lines on it. Ash guess that one of them represented heartbeat but the others he wasn't sure about. Nurse Joy looked at the sheet while mumbling under her breath. She looked at Ash and said.

"Well you have taken excellent care of this egg. You should be proud."

"I'd love to take the praise but I was only given this egg about an hour ago. So when will it hatch?"

"You're in luck. You should only have to wait a few days."

Ash was excited to hear that he wouldn't have to wait long until he met the Eevee.

"Thanks Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy put on one of her trademark smiles.

"No problem I'm happy to help."

She handed the incubator to Ash and he walked out of the Pokémon Centre. He went down to the docks but to his disappointment he was told that he'd missed today's ship by quite a few hours so he had to wait until the next ship came tomorrow. Ash sighed, he was kind of annoyed that he'd have to wait another day before he could get to Hoenn. He went back to the Pokémon Centre hoping that there was a spare room. Luckily there was and he went straight to the room, he placed the incubator on the desk and got into the bed. Meowth, Sneasel and Raichu then crawled into the bed with him. Ash then remembered to let out all of his Pokémon as he had found out thanks to Meowth that they preferred sleeping out of their poke balls and they all quickly fell to sleep.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

There is a poll up so please check it out and vote.

I kept the shiny Eeveelutions – But shiny Pokémon will not be encountered frequently like they were in the original.

Ash:

Kanto – Raichu, Meowth, Ivysaur, Wartortle, Charizard, Pidgeot, Kingler, Muk, Tauros(x29) & Snorlax

Johto – Totodile, Bayleaf, Cyndaquil, Heracross, Noctowl (Shiny), Phanpy & Sneasel


	3. Arrival's and Rescue's

Thanks for the reviews guys I really appreciate you taking the time to write one.

Here's chapter 3 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it.

"- Human speech

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

The next morning Ash headed down to the docks. He knew that he was hours early but he didn't want to miss another boat and knowing his luck if he went somewhere else something would happen that would make him miss today's ship. He found a bench on the dock and took a seat. Raichu and Meowth took a seat either side of him and he rested the incubator in his lap. The sun was shining and it made the ocean glisten. They gazed out at the ocean and were amazed at how beautiful it looked. The view made Ash think of Misty and he felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't told Misty or Brock for that matter that he was leaving for Hoenn. He'd travelled with them for so long that he knew as soon as he told them his plans they would feel guilty for being unable to join him and he'd rather have them be mad at him than feel guilty that they couldn't join him. Besides this was a journey he wanted to do on his own.

Ash was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a ships horn. He jolted up and checked his watched and to his surprise saw that he had in fact been sat on the dock for a couple of hours. He looked around and saw that there were now a horde of people also stood waiting for the ship. The ship weighed anchor and the passengers disembarked. The crowd began pushing each other in an attempt to get on the ship Ash on the other hand just sat and waited for everyone else to board until he got up and walked up the ramp. He flashed his ticket and was given a room key. He walked along the deck eventually coming to his room. He opened the door and looked around, it was a modest room with just a bed, a table and a chair. He placed his back pack on the bed so he wouldn't have to carry it around all day and left his room. Ash went to the main deck and sat in one of the deck chairs. Raichu and Meowth curled up on the chairs next to him and the trio just enjoyed the sun, it was a hot day but the cool breeze made it a perfect day to be outside.

Ash then heard what sounded like a Pokémon battle. Thinking that a battle would be a good way to pass the time he decided to investigate. Ash got to the deck where the noises had been coming from and saw that a battle was in fact taking place. He watched the battle currently being fought and to be honest it was looking pretty one sided. There was an obvious difference in skill and power. The match should have been finished by now but the more experienced trainer appeared to be toying with the poor kid. The kid looked to be on the verge of tears as another attack hit his Charmander. Somehow the plucky Pokémon got up but was clearly in no state to continue. The experienced trainer gave his Hitmonchan another command and it ran at the Charmander as its gloved fist glowed white. Ash couldn't stand by and let this go on any longer.

"Raichu block the attack with Iron Tail then hit him with a Thunder Punch."

Raichu leapt off Ash's shoulder and his tail turned metallic. Hitmonchan was now less than a metre away for Charmander who was too tired to move. The glowing fist was thrown forward and Charmander shut his eyes. There was cry of pain but it didn't come from Charmander. The small lizard opened his eyes and saw the Hitmonchan holding his fist. He wondered what had happened but then saw that the Raichu's tail was silver so he guessed that the punch that had been meant for him had instead hit the Iron Tail which must have bloody hurt. Before Hitmonchan had a chance to recover Raichu shot forward and hit the boxing Pokémon with an electric infused uppercut which sent him crashing back to his trainer. The trainer then returned his Hitmonchan and then he glared at everyone and asked.

"Who dares to interrupt the great Reece's battle?"

Ash stepped forward and sent a terrifying glare at Reece.

"That would be me. That match had been over ages ago. You should not have continued torturing Charmander."

"I don't know who the hell you think you are but you should not interfere in my affairs."

Ash sighed. He thought Gary was a tosser but this guy bought a whole new meaning to the term. It was obvious that he needed to be taken down a peg or two.

"The names Ash Ketchum and I think it's about time someone gave you an arse kicking. And since I have some spare time I guess I'll do the honours."

Reece burst out laughing. When he finally got control of himself he said.

"Ah man that was hilarious I'm gonna enjoy beating you."

As Reece continued to mock Ash the crowd were mumbling to each other. Many of them had heard of Ash Ketchum and knew that he shouldn't be underestimated. The spectators then started making bets on who would win. Ash paid no attention to the people and walked to the side of the deck opposite to Reece. Ash handed the incubator to Raichu who protectively wrapped his tail around it and Meowth jumped off Ash's shoulder and stood next to Raichu just in case there was trouble.

"How does a three on three battle sound?"

Ash wasn't really bothered.

"That's fine."

Reece threw 3 Pokéballs which revealed an Electibuzz, a Ninetails and a Cloyster.

Ash realised that Reece had meant a triple battle not 3 one on one matches as Ash had assumed. Ash shrugged he didn't have any experience in this style of battling but it was too late to back down now. Ash smirked and took 3 poke balls off his belt.

"Totodile, Cyndaquil, Phanpy to the battlefield."

The trio came out making many of the female onlookers call them cute or adorable which annoyed them. Some of the male spectators said they looked weak and that really pissed them off. They didn't react to the crowd thought they'd just show them in this battle how strong they are and that they should be feared. They heard laughing and saw that it was their opponents who were rolling around laughing at them hysterically.

"Hahahaha you're going to battle me with them puny little weaklings. You might as well give up now."

Ash looked at the trio on the battlefield and he had never seen them this pissed.

"You made a big mistake insulting us and now you're gonna pay."

"Yeah whatever. Let's finish this quick, Electibuzz Thunderbolt, Ninetails Flamethrower, Cloyster Hydro Pump."

"Phanpy Rollout, Totodile and Cyndaquil Counter Shield."

"Counter what?"

A bolt of electricity, a burst of flames and a jet of water were fired at Ash's Pokémon. Phanpy rolled into a ball and rolled past the attacks and began building up momentum. Meanwhile Totodile and Cyndaquil had got on their backs and began spinning creating a vortex of flames and a vortex of water the two merged and when the attacks from Reece's Pokémon hit the fire and water they were negated. Their opponents' jaws dropped, they had never seen their attacks blocked that easily. Due to their shock they completely forgot about Phanpy. They got a reminder of his presence when Phanpy who had now picked up a tremendous amount of speed charged forward and rammed into all three Pokémon which knocked them to the ground. Phanpy returned to Ash's side of the battlefield and like Cyndaquil and Totodile was smirking at their opponents, the looks were seriously pissing off Reece.

"Thunderpunch that Totodile, Ninetails charge a Solarbeam and Cloyster Ice Beam."

"Aqua Jet to dodge Electibuzz, Cyndaquil match the Ice Beam with Flamethrower and Phanpy use Take Down."

Ash's Pokémon nodded understanding what Ash wanted them to do. Electibuzz charged at Totodile his fist crackling as he threw his fist forward Totodile was surrounded in water and shot off over him and zeroed in on Ninetails. The fox was too busy charging the Solarbeam to dodge and was hit by the super effective attack which knocked her back. Meanwhile Cloyster fired a frozen beam at Phanpy but the ice was intercepted by Cyndaquil's Flamethrower. The clash of fire and ice created a mist of steam which mad it almost impossible to see more than a foot in front of them. As the steam started to clear Cloyster was looking around trying to spot anything. He heard something to his right and when he turned to look he saw Phanpy running straight at him and the young Pokémon slammed into him sending him flying back into Ninetails by the Take Down. Ash wasn't going to give them any time to recover and kept up the pressure.

"Flamethrower on Electibuzz, Hydro Pump on Ninetails and Hidden Power on Cloyster."

Totodile and Cyndaquil fired a burst of flames and a jet of water and Phanpy formed several green orbs around himself. The attacks looked far more powerful than the ones their opponents had launched. They fired the attacks at their intended targets and the attacks hit dead on. Everyone could hear Reece's Pokémon give several pain filled cries. Reece's Pokémon somehow forced themselves up with were all clearly struggling to stay conscious. Ash was tired of this guy so he was going to end it now.

"Let's finish this, Phanpy Rollout, Cyndaquil Flame Wheel and Totodile Aqua Wheel."

All 3 curled into a ball, Totodile was surrounded in water and Cyndaquil was engulfed in flames they then charged at their staggering opponents. Electibuzz, Ninetails and Cloyster watched the 3 Pokémon headed at that them and shut their eyes. They were all far too tired to even attempt to dodge. Cyndaquil, Phanpy and Totodile slammed into their exhausted opponents and instantly knocked the trio out. The majority of the people who'd been watching were in shock. They couldn't believe that 3 small and rather cute looking Pokémon had won so easily.

Ash smirked and returned his Pokémon. He knelt down and took the incubator from Raichu. Meowth and Raichu then took their places back on Ash's shoulders and he walked away without a word. He considered going back to the main deck but didn't want to get disturbed by people wanting to talk about the battle so he went back to his room. He went inside and placed the incubator on the desk and sent out the rest of his Pokémon apart from Pidgeot who was just a bit too big for the room. Ash got some of the food he'd made and put it in bowls for them. They quickly demolished the food making Ash wonder if they'd had the time to actually taste anything. It amazed him to think that he used to eat like that. Ash stayed in the room for the rest of the day spending time with his Pokémon who enjoyed spending time with their trainer. He only came out for the evening meal so that he and Pidgeot could eat. After dinner he went back to his room and to his relief he somehow managed to avoid anyone who had seen his battle. He crawled into bed and quickly fell to sleep.

* * *

Ash woke up the next morning to the voice of the Captain saying that they would be docking in Slateport within the hour. When the ship arrived in Slateport Ash got off the ship and took his first steps into Hoenn. Remembering his promise to his mother he took the Pokénav off his belt and quickly called his mother to tell her he'd arrived safely. He dialled her number and her face appeared on the Pokénav's small screen.

"Hi mum."

"Hello Ash. So are you in Hoenn now?"

"Yeah I am. It's already been a pretty crazy adventure since I left Pallet"

"Really? What happened?"

Ash proceeded to tell her everything that had happened so far.

"Well you've certainly had an interesting start to this journey. By the way Brock and Misty called. They wanted to meet up with you."

Ash stiffened and prayed to Arceus that she hadn't told them where he was.

"What did you tell them?"

"I said that you had left and were headed for Hoenn. Brock seemed very understanding although a bit hurt that you hadn't talked to him about your decision. Misty on the other hand well she didn't take it quite as well."

Ash face palmed. He was not looking forward to his next meeting with Misty.

"Wait you didn't tell them my number did you?"

"No I thought you'd prefer to call them when you're ready rather than have them call you."

Ash let out a sigh of relief. At least he had time to think about what to tell them.

"Thanks mum."

"No problem."

"Ok mum I'd better get going. I'll call you at least once a week."

"Ok honey have fun."

Ash hung up and then checked the map feature on the Pokénav. He saw that Littleroot Town was to the west. He placed the Pokénav back on his belt and sent out Pidgeot. He put the incubator in his back pack and got on Pidgeot's back.

"Ok Pidgeot head west."

Pidgeot nodded and took off.

* * *

Pidgeot landed in Littleroot a couple of hours later. Ash returned Pidgeot and started walking toward Professor Birch's lab. He was hoping that it wouldn't take long for Professor Birch to sign him up for the Hoenn League as he had a tight schedule he was hoping to keep to which involved getting to Petalburg by tonight. He walked into the lab and saw Professor Birch tapping away on his computer. Hearing the door open Professor Birch turned to look at Ash.

"Hello I'm Professor Birch. Who are you?"

"Hi I'm Ash Ketchum. I'm here to sign up for the Hoenn League."

"Ah yes Professor Oak told me that you would be here sometime this week."

"I can come back if you are busy."

"No it's fine I was just sending an E-mail to the other Professor's about a study I recently did on Pokémon habitats. Give me you Pokédex and I'll start submitting your data to the Hoenn League so that you can compete. This will take a while to verify though. You can take a look around the lab while you wait."

"Ok."

Ash handed Professor Birch his Pokédex. He left the Professor and went into the main room. As he looked around he saw a very sad looking Mudkip sitting all alone, its shoulders were slumped and it was just poking at its food. Professor Birch walked in and saw Ash looking at Mudkip he stood next to Ash and said.

"Poor little guy has been like that all day."

"Why is he acting like that?"

"Two people started their journeys today. One was a girl called May who chose Torchic and the other was a boy named Adam who chose Treecko. That meant that Mudkip has been left behind and he is devastated that he wasn't chosen. It's a shame because honestly out of the three he is by far the best battler. But he is a bit of a prankster when he first saw May he shot a Water Gun in her face."

Ash let out a quick laugh but then looked back to Mudkip.

"So what will happen to him now?"

"He'll wait here until next year when the next batch of trainers come to collect their first Pokémon."

Ash saw the depressed look on Mudkip's face and nodded to Raichu and Meowth. They took the incubator from him and placed it on the table. Ash then went over to the water starter and sat down in front of him. Mudkip looked up at Ash and the look in Mudkip's eyes broke the young trainer's heart. He picked Mudkip up and placed him in his lap. Mudkip seemed surprised but he relished the attention as Ash started stroking him.

"Listen those other trainers don't know what they're missing out on. I can tell that you're a great Pokémon."

Mudkip seemed to brighten up at Ash's words and he now had a smile on his face.

"So would you want to come with me if Professor Birch allows it?"

Mudkip responded by happily saying his name and rubbing his cheek against Ash's.

"I'll take that as a yes, so Professor Birch can I take Mudkip?"

"Sure Ash."

Professor Birch handed Mudkip's poke ball to Ash. He returned him and clipped his poke ball to his belt. Ash picked his egg back up, when it suddenly started glowing. Ash quickly put the incubator back on the desk and took the lid off. Professor Birch, Raichu and Meowth left the room knowing how important the first few moments after an egg hatched are. Ash stood excitedly watching as the egg cracked open and finally revealed the shiny Eevee he'd been expecting. Ash slowly picked up Eevee and cradled it. Eevee looked at Ash and immediately nuzzled into his chest. Ash smiled and walked into the next room to join Professor Birch, Meowth and Raichu. After thinking about it Ash decided not to put Eevee in a poke ball yet as it might be scary for the young Pokémon. Professor Birch walked over to Ash and told him that he was now officially signed him up for the Hoenn League. Ash thanked the Professor and left the lab beginning his Hoenn journey and although that excited him his attention was mostly on Eevee right now. On the outskirts of Littleroot Ash took his Pokédex off his belt and quickly scanned Eevee. He found out that Eevee is a female, her move set was as you'd expect but her egg moves were Shadow Ball and Iron Tail which was a pleasant surprise for Ash. He put the Pokédex back in its place and continued walking.

* * *

About an hour after leaving Littleroot Town, Ash heard a scream and shot off in the direction it came from and saw a girl that had a group of Poochyena and a pair of nasty looking Mightyena closing in on her. Ash took 3 poke balls off his belt.

"Totodile, Cyndaquil, Phanpy to the battlefield."

The trio appeared and were joined by Raichu, Ash could tell that the pack in front of him wasn't particularly powerful but they were numerous and they had 2 Mightyena leading them and they both looked vicious.

"Me, Raichu and Meowth have got the Mightyena, you three take down the Poochyena."

Ash watched Phanpy, Totodile and Cyndaquil curl into balls and roll straight at the group of Poochyena which sent several of them skidding across the ground, blasts of fire and water were now being fired while Phanpy kept using Rollout to attack the Poochyena. The Mightyena were now circling Raichu and Meowth who were stood back to back. The Mightyena were obviously attempting to be threatening but Meowth and Raichu weren't affected. Suddenly they pounced presuming that they had an advantage but they were sadly mistaken.

"Iron Tail."

Meowth and Raichu's tails turned metallic. Raichu smacked his tail into one of the Mightyena's face and Meowth slammed his tail into the other ones gut. The attacks sent them both crashing into a group of Poochyena that were about to jump on Phanpy. The Mightyena got back up and snarled. Completely enraged the duo started charging at Raichu and Meowth.

"Use Quick Attack."

Raichu and Meowth began running at the Mightyena but Raichu wasn't hitting the speed Ash knew he could go and Meowth was shooting way ahead of him. Suddenly Raichu became surrounded in electricity and he shot past Meowth who was so stunned that he had stopped running. Ash was proud that Raichu had finally learned Volt Tackle after they'd spent so long trying to learn it when he was a Pikachu. Raichu rammed into both Mightyena and they were both easily overwhelmed and went flying backwards landing amongst several of the Poochyena that had been knocked out.

"Raichu get rid of them with Thunder."

Raichu fired the largest bolt of electricity he ever had at the pack, which made them all yelp in agony. The power of the attack created an explosion that sent the entire pack crashing into the forest behind them, slamming into the trees and boulders. Once he was sure that the pack wasn't coming back Ash returned Totodile, Cyndaquil and Phanpy so they could rest. He looked to where the bandana wearing girl was sat and Ash then saw the smouldering remains of a bike next to her. Ash groaned.

"Oh crap not again."

* * *

Ash stood there cursing his luck he couldn't believe that he'd trashed another bike. He was surprised that the girl hadn't said anything yet but maybe she was in shock from the pack attacking her. While she sat there still silent Ash wondered who she was. It was possible that this is May the girl that Professor Birch had told him about. She looked like an inexperienced trainer and they were really close to Littleroot Town so it would make sense. But then wouldn't her Torchic have been out fighting the pack? He'd just have to ask her about it when she started talking. The girl was still on the ground so Ash held his hand out to the girl who took it and he pulled her to her feet. Now based on past experience Ash was expecting a lot of shouting and he would probably be hit with something, but what happened shocked him. She hugged him so tight he thought she would break him in two. He could he hear her just saying thank you over and over. Ash nervously laughed.

"You're welcome. Um are you okay?"

She released her grip on Ash and looked up at him.

"I'm fine thanks."

"That's good. So why did they attack you?"

"Well..."

* * *

Flashback

May was riding down route 101 with Torchic looking for any Pokémon to catch. She then saw a Poochyena eating from a berry bush. She quietly got off her bike and silently walked behind the unsuspecting Pokémon. When they were close enough May told Torchic to attack the Poochyena. The Poochyena was hit by the attack and yelped, this drew attention to them and May saw several sets of hate filled eyes looking at her and Torchic. The Poochyena and a Mightyena walked out of the shadows and they all looked extremely pissed.

Knowing that there was no way she could fight of the horde she quickly returned Torchic and ran to her bike. She got on and began peddling as fast as she could but they were gaining on her and when she looked back to see how close they were her bike hit a rock on the ground and the bike flipped forward leaving her defenceless on the ground. Her only hope now was that someone would hear her and come save her so she screamed as loud as she could.

Flashback end

* * *

"That's when you arrived."

Ash chuckled at how similar that was to his first day as a trainer minus the screaming of course. Now that he had taken lessons with Professor Oak he knew that Pokémon like Poochyena usually lived in packs so you attack one and you attack them all which meant that unless you had a full team you shouldn't really challenge a Pokémon like Poochyena. May turned red as Ash laughed at her.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry I was just thinking how much it reminded me of my first day as a trainer."

"What happened?""

"Let's just say I pissed off the wrong Spearow."

Ash then caught sight of her ruined bike.

"Hey I'm sorry about your bike."

She waved a dismissive hand.

"Don't worry about it. You saved my life my bike was in pretty bad shape anyway from when it hit the rock and catapulted through the air."

Ash was glad that she wasn't mad at him. He then realised that he hadn't introduced himself.

"By the way I'm Ash."

"I'm May."

Just as Ash expected she was the girl Professor Birch told him about. He was about to ask her how Torchic was when Ash's Pokénav started ringing. He took it off his belt and saw it was an unknown number. He guessed it must be a wrong number. He received the call and a very pissed off redhead appeared on the screen.

"ASH KETCHUM I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Her voice was so loud that Ash thought he'd been deafened. He then heard a whimpering sound and knew it was coming from Eevee. He looked at her and she was trembling violently. Although Ash knew that the consequences for this would be bad he hung up and hugged Eevee tightly. He kept a tight hold of her until her shaking gradually lessened. Meowth then asked.

"Hey boss how did the twerpette know your number?"

"I don't know. But then nothing Misty does surprises me anymore I mean she's been pulling her mallet out of nowhere for the last four years so her getting my Pokénav number isn't that farfetch'd. My guess is that she called Tracey and he gave her my number."

Raichu then piped up.

'You know Misty is going to beat the living shit out of you when we next see her.'

Ash sighed.

"Yeah I know buddy. But Eevee was scared and she is far more important."

Raichu nodded in agreement. Ash then remembered May had been stood with him the whole time. He turned to look and her and she was wide-eyed and her jaw had dropped.

"May?"

Her expression didn't change. Ash waved his hand in front of her face and then tried snapping his fingers but nothing broke her out of her shock. Ash rubbed his chin as he tried to think of something to break her out of her trance. Then an idea came to him.

"Mudkip to the battlefield."

Mudkip appeared and smiled brightly when he saw Ash. He then saw May and a devious smirk appeared on his face. He shot a Water Gun and completely drenched her. This pulled her back to reality. She looked at Meowth and shouted.

"What the hell that cat just talked."

"Yeah he learned when he was younger, it's a long story."

May then realised that the Mudkip from earlier was now stood before. She then realised that she was dripping wet and the little monster in front of her was probably why she was wet. She pointed angrily at him.

"Damn it that Mudkip soaked me again."

"That's my fault, you weren't reacting to anything I did so I had him Water Gun you. Don't worry we'll stop for lunch here and my Cyndaquil will warm you up."

May nodded in response and gave Mudkip a glare. She then shuddered as another strong wind cut straight through her. An hour ago the cool wind had felt nice as she was riding her bike but now in these sopping wet clothes she felt like she would freeze to death. Ash saw how cold she now was thanks to Mudkip drenching her and sent out his Pokémon quickly telling Cyndaquil to sit near May so she could warm up. Cyndaquil nodded and sat in front of May. Flames then erupted from the 4 red spots on his back and May sighed in content as the wind no longer felt like it would turn her into a block of ice. As she sat there Ash started preparing lunch. By the time he was finished May's clothes had now dried and she was now sat with her Torchic.

"Ok everyone lunch is ready."

Ash's Pokémon all started digging into the food. Torchic took a small bite and was amazed at how tasty it was, Torchic then started scoffing the food just like Ash's Pokémon. Ash chuckled as he watched the Pokémon eat. He looked back to May and saw that she was inspecting the sandwiches he had made.

"What's in these?"

Ash took a bite out of his own sandwich and casually replied.

"Berries."

"You mean like Oran and Pecha berries?"

"Yeah. Trust me I know it probably sounds strange but just try one."

May was still dubious but she had no reason to doubt what Ash had said so she took a bite. Ash smirked as he saw her face light up and moments later her first sandwich was gone. Ash kept munching on his as May demolished her next one in no time. After a couple of minutes she had finished every last one of her sandwiches and Ash hadn't even got half way. May was now looking longingly at Ash's plate, the young trainer from Pallet Town sighed and took a sandwich for himself before handing the plateful of sandwiches to May.

* * *

After they finished lunch Ash said he'd accompany May to Petalburg since he was going that way, which after the incident with the Poochyena she was grateful for. Ash had hoped to reach Petalburg today but realised that it probably wouldn't happen now. But considering what had happened he would be happy enough reaching Oldale Pokémon Centre and then getting to Petalburg early tomorrow morning. Ash returned his Pokémon and Meowth and Raichu took their places on Ash's shoulders. They began the journey north as they were walking Ash and May were looking for Pokémon to catch. May caught a Wurmple hoping she'd get a Beautifly. The only other Pokémon they encountered were Zigzagoon which was what Ash was expecting but he was still disappointed none the less.

When he could see the tops of houses Ash considered hiding Eevee away, carrying around a shiny Eevee would draw a lot of attention and she'd been a target for thieves, Ash knew that with Raichu and Meowth they'd be able to fend off anyone but he didn't want to risk it. He looked at the inner pockets of his trench coat and saw that there was a deep one that Eevee could rest in. He looked at her and saw that she had fallen asleep sometime, he smiled at the peaceful look on her face and he gently eased Eevee into the pocket.

They walked into the Pokémon Centre and gave their Pokémon to Nurse Joy. The only exception was Eevee as she was still sleeping in Ash's coat. Nurse Joy took a quick look at their Pokémon and told Ash and May that they just needed a rest. She had also said that Ash's Pokémon were in incredible condition showing that he must take very good care of them. Ash and May booked a couple of rooms and went to bed.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

Custom moves

Aqua Wheel – Equivalent of Flame Wheel

Ash:

Kanto – Raichu, Meowth, Ivysaur, Wartortle, Charizard, Pidgeot, Kingler, Muk, Tauros(x29), Snorlax & Eevee (Shiny)

Johto – Totodile, Bayleaf, Cyndaquil, Heracross, Noctowl (Shiny), Phanpy & Sneasel

Hoenn - Mudkip


	4. Ash Falls Even Further Behind Schedule

Merry Christmas guys or if you don't celebrate Christmas then Happy Holidays and I hope you will all have a very Happy New Year. This is the final update this year so I'll see you next year.

Thanks for the reviews guys I really appreciate you taking the time to write one.

Here's chapter 4 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it.

"- Human speech

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

The next day Ash woke up raring to go. He wanted to get to Petalburg by mid morning so he could make up on lost time. He got all of his things packed and returned his Pokémon . After leaving his room he went to May's room, he knocked on the door but got no answer, he knocked harder but again got no answer. He checked his watch and saw that it was only 6am so he was pretty sure she'd probably never woken up this early before . He tried knocking a few more times but still got no answer so he changed his strategy.

"Hey May the Pokémon Centre has a buffet. If you don't get down there soon you'll just have to have the warmed up leftovers."

Raichu and Meowth snickered quietly. For a moment they heard nothing, Ash was about to give up and go when he suddenly heard footsteps inside. A couple of minutes later her door flew open and a fully dressed May ran straight past Ash headed for the canteen. Ash, Meowth and Raichu broke into hysterics, they were laughing so hard that they having to wipe tears from their eyes. The trio stopped laughing when they heard someone growling menacingly and footsteps thudding on the stairs. May got to the top of the stairs and saw the trio stood outside her door. She sent a terrifying glare at them which made all 3 get chills down their spines. Ash had to admit that May's glare would have challenged Misty's. She stomped up to Ash and said.

"I'm gonna kill you."

Ash took a step back.

"Now calm down May. I just thought you'd wanna get home as soon as you can so you can see your family."

"It's 6am I want to sleep."

"Well you're awake now so we might as well get going."

She took a step forward and her glare intensified. Ash stood there wondering what he could do to placate her then he got an idea.

"How about I make it up to you by making breakfast?"

At the mention of food she momentarily faltered but she still looked furious. She kept glaring at Ash for about a minute and then she sighed.

"Fine but it better be a damn good breakfast."

Ash didn't waste and second and quickly went downstairs. He walked to the main desk and pretty much begged Nurse Joy to allow him to use the Pokémon Centre's kitchen. To his relief she allowed it since the cook didn't start until 7:30. Ash thanked Nurse Joy and went into the kitchen and began making a variety of dishes for May who had taken a seat in the cafeteria. After 10 minutes Ash stated serving the food in hindsight Ash thought he probably went a bit overboard and made too much but she polished off the lot. As she finished the last bite Ash stood there waiting, he was just hoping that he was back in her good books.

"So am I off the hook."

She gave him an angry look for a second and then a smile broke out on her face.

"Yeah I guess so."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't like having people angry at him which reminded him that he had to call Misty and Brock when he got a chance. May went and got her bag and the duo left the Pokémon Centre and headed west to Route 102. As they walked down route 102 they saw Zigzagoon, Wurmple, Poochyena and the odd Lotad. Ash had considered catching one of the Lotad but it wouldn't really be a great addition to his team. Ash did want to catch more Pokémon than he had in previous regions but he was being selective he wasn't going to catch a Pokémon just because it was there.

* * *

They reached Petalburg at about 10:30 which considering they had taken a break was earlier than Ash expected. He walked through the small town with May to her house which was attached to the gym. May walked up to the door and knocked on the door. While she waited for the door to open she heard footsteps walking away. She turned around and saw Ash now walking towards the open gate. He stopped as he heard May ask.

"Hey Ash where are you going?"

"Well I was gonna head to Rotarka Town. There's a tournament there in a weeks time so I want to get there for that."

"Well could you just come in for a while? I'm sure my family would like to thank you for saving me."

The door then opened and a woman with blue eyes and brown hair appeared.

"Hello May."

The woman looked over May's shoulder and saw Ash.

"Who's your friend?"

"Mum this is Ash."

"Hello Ash. Would you like to come in?"

Ash didn't want to be rude and said.

"Ok, thank you Mrs Maple."

"Please call me Caroline. Mrs Maple makes me feel old."

Ash nodded and followed May as she walked inside. When inside Ash took a look in the main room and saw a man sat in a chair reading a paper. May walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"Hey dad."

He sent a disappointed look at May.

"May you're late. You were supposed to be home yesterday."

She looked down guiltily.

"Sorry dad I was attacked by a bunch of Poochyena and a couple of Mightyena. So I got delayed."

Norman and Caroline sent worried looks at May. Norman then shot up checking his daughter for injuries making the girl giggle.

"Dad I'm fine. My friend Ash saved me."

Norman and Caroline walked over to Ash, the former shook Ash's hand and the latter pulled him into a hug.

"May you are going to tell your father and I everything that has happened."

A young boy raced down the stairs and asked if May was in trouble. But he was disappointed to find out that she wasn't. After introducing Ash to Max everyone took a seat in the main room and May began recounting what had happened from her first angering the Poochyena to her and Ash walking in here. She told everything in excruciating detail which made her little brother laugh when he heard about how Ash had woken her up. Max stopped laughing after he got a smack in the head from May. When May was finished Norman got up and shook Ash's hand again.

"Thank you Ash. You have no idea how grateful we are."

"It's no problem Norman."

"So Ash do you want to challenge me for the Balance Badge now?"

"Thanks for the offer Norman but I know the Hoenn League rules and I will adhere to them. When I win the first four badges I'll return here"

"Okay Ash. I'll be waiting for our battle. Would you like to stay for lunch?"

Ash looked at the time and realised he'd been here for 3 hours. He took them up on their offer and stayed for lunch. Although he was way behind schedule he had enjoyed his time spent with them. After lunch he knew he had to get on the road to have a chance of keeping to his schedule.

"I really must leave now if I am to keep to stick to my plan, thank you Caroline, Norman for your hospitality. Here is the number to my Pokénav, so you can call me if you need to.."

"Okay Ash, thank you again for everything."

Norman shook Ash's hand a final time and Caroline, Max and May hugged him. He smiled and walked out of their home. He took one last look at the house and headed towards the western exit of Petalburg.

* * *

Ash left Petalburg and took his first steps on to Route 104. He checked the map feature on his Pokénav and guessed that he'd get to Rotarka Town in about 2 days providing nothing else delayed him. He wanted to get there early so he could get registered for the tournament and use the rest of the time before the tournament starts to train.

As he walked Ash was looking all around for some Pokémon to catch. He was hoping that his luck would change as he hadn't found any wild Pokémon he wanted to capture yet. However this route was known for having a good variety of Pokémon so he thought he had a good chance of finding something. The sky was getting dark and Ash was about to set up camp when he thought he heard someone sobbing. He looked to the south which was a thick forest.

"Hey did you guys hear that?"

Meowth and Raichu both nodded and looked at the forest.

"Let's go see what's happening."

Ash walked through the forest pushing obstructing branches aside. As he got deeper into the forest it thickened making it harder for him to get through the dense woods. He could hear the sobbing getting louder so he picked up the pace and pushed his way through a thicket of trees. Once he got past the trees he came to an open clearing and he saw a tiny figure leaned up against a tree. He ran to the creatures side and saw that it was a Ralts. He felt his heart break for the Ralts, she was covered in blood and grime and her face was badly bruised. Ralts sensed that someone was near and she managed to open an eye and saw the human in front of her. She could sense that he was a kind, compassionate and loving person so she used the last of her strength to crawl to him and then she blacked out.

Ash got to his knees and Raichu and Meowth jumped off Ash's shoulders. Ash handed handed Eevee to Raichu. Ash picked up the Ralts and got a closer look at her injuries it was obvious that she'd been abused. Whether the damage had been caused by a trainer or by other Pokémon would be unknown until he could ask her. Judging by the size of her Ash guessed that she probably wasn't much older than Eevee.

He gently shifted Ralts into his right arm and sent out his Pokémon. They saw the badly injured Ralts in Ash's arms and they looked at the poor Pokémon with sorrow in their eyes. Ash told them to begin making camp but to be as quiet as they could be. They nodded and split up so they could do their own duties whether it was gathering fire wood, finding berries or looking around to make sure there were no threats in the area. Raichu and Meowth were the only ones who stayed behind so they could keep Eevee safe. Whole his Pokémon were off setting up camp Ash took the Ralts to the small lake in the middle of the clearing. He took a cloth out of his back pack and started wiping the blood and grime off her, once he'd cleaned her he sprayed some of her worst wounds with a Super Potion and then placed her in his sleeping bag to rest.

They all spent the next couple of hours waiting for Ralts to wake up. Ash's Pokémon had been trying to relax but they were far too concerned for the Ralts. As bad as it had been for them it was 10 times worse for Ash, the only thing keeping him sane was Eevee who was sat in his lap purring in satisfaction as he groomed her. Ash heard a faint groan to his right and saw Ralts waking up, he stopped grooming Eevee who whined in discontent.

"Hey I promise that once I've tended to Ralts I'll get straight back to grooming you."

She yipped happily and licked his cheek. Ash smiled back at her and hugged her, he then placed her on the ground and sat down next Ralts who was now sat up. She saw Ash and held her arms out, Ash knew what she wanted and he picked her up. As soon as she was in his arms she clutched on to his shirt and began bawling into it. Ash hugged her tightly and was rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her.

"Please calm down. Nobody will hurt you now."

Her sobbing seemed to lessen but she was still clinging on to Ash's shirt. He moved his hand from her back to her head and began stroking her head which seed to help calm her as her sobs became whimpers. Now that she was calming down Ash thought that he'd try to find out what happened to her.

"Hey Meowth can you come over here?"

The cat stopped his conversation with Raichu and walked over to Ash.

"What do ya need boss?"

"I was wondering if you could translate what she's saying for me?"

"Sure."

Ash turned his attention back to Ralts who had stopped whimpering but was still shaking.

"How old are you?"

She looked up at Ash,with tear stained cheeks and started talking. When she finished Ash looked at Meowth.

"She says dat she is only a couple of weeks old."

Ash was shocked that someone could beat a young defenceless child so mercilessly.

"Who did this to you?"

Again he heard her talking. When she finished all of Ash's Pokémon looked horrified. Their looks told Ash that it was a trainer who did this.

"Well by the look on your face I guess that you know that her trainer did this. He was training her but she couldn't do what he was asking so he got mad and told all of his Pokémon to attack her."

Ash was fuming, how could that scum bag try to make an incredibly young Pokémon start battling?

"Of course she can't start training. She's only a couple of weeks old. That trainer is a disgrace."

The sudden burst of anger from Ash brought a slight whimper came from Ralts. Ash heard the whimper and calmed himself down, he didn't want to scare Ralts anymore than she already was. He banished all the darker thoughts from his mind and softly spoke to her.

"Hey Ralts would you like to come with me? I promise that I will never do anything to hurt you."

She knew that there was no other place she'd rather be. She felt safe in Ash's arms and knew that every word he had said was true. She smiled at Ash and nodded, Ash heard her saying her name over and over again. He smiled as he knew what she was saying.

"Well that settles it you're coming with us Ralts."

A huge smile broke out on her face and she nestled her head into Ash's shirt. Ash tightened his grip on her vowed that if he found the trainer who did this to Ralts he would make sure that he would get a taste of his own medicine. He didn't know that all his Pokémon had done the same thing. Ash decided that they would stay where they were, the sky was now pitch black and the only thing lighting the clearing was Cyndaquil's flames so there really would be no point in travelling any further today. Everyone agreed with Ash's decision and curled quickly falling to sleep. Ash was the last one to fall asleep the last thing he saw before he joined them was the smile on Ralts' face.

* * *

Next morning Ash got ready to set off. After everyone had finished their breakfast Ash returned all of his Pokémon. He chose not to put Ralts in a poke ball yet for the same reason he not put Eevee in one. Another reason was that she might associate it with her former trainer which could be terrifying for her. She was looking better than she did yesterday, the bruising had faded slightly but they still looked very painful. He packed everything up and bent down picking the 2 young Pokémon up. Eevee and Ralts both happily nuzzled into his shirt and dozed off again. Ash looked at Meowth and Raichu who were stood either side of him.

"Hey Meowth, Raichu do you mind walking today? I want you to be on guard while I'm carrying Eevee and Ralts."

They both nodded and started walking either side of Ash, all three keeping quiet so that the young ones could rest.

They'd been walking for a couple of hours, Ralts and Eevee had woken up a while ago so everyone was on the lookout for any Pokémon. Ash then spotted one of the Pokémon he'd been wanting. It was lying near a tree in the shade and it looked to be asleep. The Pokémon is a whitish insect. It has a pointed snout, a thin stripe that dips in a V-shaped pattern between its eyes, and whisker-like antennae on its face. Its eyes are black with green iris-like rings inside. Its hind legs are white and the forelegs are brown, and it has small, green wings on its back. Ash took one of the poke balls off his belt.

"Great we've found a Nincada."

Ash placed Ralts and Eevee on the ground who both whined at not being in Ash's embrace anymore. Ash gave them a quick hug and stood back up. He saw Raichu and Meowth stand in front of the two young Pokémon to protect them. Ash threw the Pokéball that was in his hand.

"Totodile to the battlefield."

Totodile came out and looked focussed, although he was still the happy-go-lucky Pokémon he'd always been he now knew that there were times when you had to be serious.

"Hit Nincada with Water Gun."

Totodile opened his mouth and fired a forceful shot of water at Nincada who jumped out of the way which surprised Ash as Nincada generally have poor eyesight and rely on other senses. This meant that this Nincada must have very heightened senses which impressed Ash. He also had to admit that the Nincada's agility was also quite impressive. Nincada scraped his claws across the ground which sent a cloud of dust at Totodile. The dust blinded Totodile for a moment which was long enough for Nincada to rush forward and ram into Totodile. The small crocodile quickly recovered and smirked.

"Use Aqua Jet."

Totodile was surrounded in water and shot off towards Nincada who dug underground avoiding the attack. Totodile was looking all around him trying to see where Nincada was but couldn't find anything. The bug then burst out of the ground and its forelegs were crossed in front of him and he hit Totodile with an X-Scissor. Totodile's fist became encased in ice and he threw a punch at where Nincada was but he dodged by digging back underground.

"Totodile calm down and focus."

Totodile steadied his breathing and closed his eyes which. He stood completely still, then felt the ground behind him shake and turned around.

"Hit him with Iron Tail and then finish him with Ice Punch."

Nincada shot out of the ground and tried to use X-Scissor again like he had done before. But this time Totodile was ready and slammed his now metallic tail into the bugs midriff which sent him flying into the air. Totodile's fist was then encased in ice and he waited until Nincada nearly hit the ground and punched him making the bug slam into a tree. Nincada slumped to the ground, seeing his chance Ash threw a spare poke ball at Nincada, it shook 3 times before it signalled the capture.

"Great job Totodile."

'Thanks Ash.'

Totodile gave Ash a thumbs up and then began dancing happily making everyone laugh at the fact that in a matter of seconds he had gone from a deadly serious battler to someone completely carefree. Ash went and picked up Nincada's Pokéball.

"This guy put up a good fight and by what we saw he knows some good moves."

Ash returned Totodile and put his and Nincada's poke balls on his belt, he bent down and picked up Ralts and Eevee and got back on the road to Rotarka Town.

* * *

As midday approached Ash looked for somewhere they could stop for lunch and do some training. He searched for about half an hour until he finally came across a small clearing which would be perfect. He shrugged off his back pack and put Ralts and Eevee next to it, he then sent out all his Pokémon.

"Alright everyone we're doing some training today, Nincada, Mudkip and Sneasel you're with me the rest of you have a free for all. It will be a good opportunity for you to test any new moves you've been working on, this also give you great experience in fighting multiple opponents on your own."

The Pokémon did as Ash asked and began their battle. Ash saw Ralts' shoulders droop and she started shuffling towards the other's, he walked over to her and scooped her up.

"Whoa, I didn't mean you Ralts, you're staying with me and Eevee."

She looked up at him with a smile and with relief in her eyes. Ash smiled back at her until he heard an irritated yip and looked down at the pouting Eevee next to him, he bent down and picked her up.

"Sorry Eevee."

She yipped happily and licked his cheek. Ash tightened his grip on both young Pokémon who snuggled into his embrace. Ash then started looking around the area, he needed something heavy to use as weights for Mudkip. Ash then spotted a boulder and got an idea.

"Hey Raichu come over here."

The mouse broke off from the mêlée and was now in front of Ash.

"Can you go over there and use Iron Tail on that boulder and bring me back a heavy piece of rock that I can use for Mudkip."

Raichu nodded and ran at the boulder, he leapt in the air and slammed his metallic tail on the boulder which shattered it. Raichu picked up on of the larger rocks and took it back to Ash placing it at his feet.

"Thanks buddy."

'No problem Ash'

Raichu turned around and jumped back into the mêlée, Ash then took some rope out of his bag.

"Right Mudkip I am going to strap this rock to your tail-fin to strengthen it. When you're ready we'll work on Iron Tail."

Ash placed Eevee and Ralts back on the ground and began tying the rock to Mudkip's tail-fin.

"Now I want you to run laps around the clearing and don't drag your tail-fin on the ground."

Mudkip nodded and ran around the area watching the battle between Ash's older Pokémon. This just left Nincada and Sneasel, Ash at first had planned to see what moves they had but he saw the way both of them were staring at the free for all going on and he knew that was what Nincada and Sneasel wanted to be doing

"Ok you two I was thinking I'd heal you up Nincada and then both of you can get involved in the battle."

Nincada and Sneasel nodded and Ash went and got a Super Potion from his back pack and sprayed it on Nincada's wounds which were now almost fully healed. Nincada and Sneasel then moved as quickly as they could to the battle and got involved. Nincada started trading blows with Totodile and Sneasel was battling Meowth. Ash sat down at the base of a tree with Eevee and Ralts and watched the battle. He had done a lot of this kind of battling back at the ranch, it allowed him to see any weaknesses they had and it would be a good demonstration of Nincada and Sneasel's abilities.

* * *

Ash stopped the battle after about 2 and a half hours. He had been very been impressed by what he'd seen as everyone had clearly improved since the last time they'd battled like this. But the real surprise was how well Nincada and Sneasel did. Ash was pretty sure that it wouldn't take long for them to catch up to the others. Sneasel and Nincada staggered over to Ash, both were struggling to stand after the intense battle but both were proud of how they had managed to keep going against Ash's old Pokémon. Ash took a look at Mudkip who was doing one final lap of the clearing. He was amazed that Mudkip had kept going for the full 2 and a half hours without a single break. Ash was incredibly proud of the dedication all of his Pokémon were showing especially Mudkip, Nincada and Sneasel. All of his Pokémon started walking back to Ash Nincada, Mudkip and Sneasel then collapsed to the ground in front of him, the trio looked exhausted and sweat was pouring off them. Raichu and the other's were tired but were still more than capable of battling again. Ash removed the rock from Mudkip's tail-fin which made him relax and he now sat up although he still looked completely drained.

They all looked longingly at the food Ash had prepared for them. Seeing the looks on their faces made Ash chuckle, he put the food he had made into some bowls and placed them in front of the Pokémon. They dug into the food and instantly felt revitalised as Ash had crushed some Oran berries and sprinkled that on top of the food. As usual the food was polished off in no time making Ash chuckle again. They all then went off and started relaxing while Ash fed Eevee and Ralts

While Ash was feeding the young Pokémon he heard a rustling to his left where his back pack was. It didn't take a genius to know that it was Raichu searching for his favourite condiment. Usually Ash would have been quick to stop the mouse however today he wouldn't as he'd planned a little surprise for Raichu with the help of Sneasel. He looked over to Sneasel who was trying and failing to stifle a giggle. Raichu completely oblivious to everyone now watching him kept rummaging through the bag until he finally found what he was looking for. He pulled the bottle out and stared lovingly at it. He took a few steps away from the backpack and took the lid off the ketchup which then exploded in his face covering him in ketchup. Everyone burst out laughing at the ketchup covered mouse.

Raichu turned around and sent everyone a glare but nobody was intimidated by the look it just made them laugh even harder. Raichu feeling embarrassed about the situation sat down and started trying to wipe the ketchup off but wasn't having much success. Raichu was still wiping the ketchup off when he was hit by 2 streams of water which completely drenched the mouse. He got to his feet and glared at the water types. Mudkip chuckled and said nervously.

'Hey me and Totodile thought that you needed a hand cleaning the ketchup off.'

'Well let me repay you. I believe you two could use a bit of a shock.'

Raichu fired a Thunderbolt at them but they managed to dodge it. Raichu started chasing the duo around the clearing firing several Thunderbolt's at them but they were managing to avoid to the electricity. As he watched them run around the clearing Ash considered stopping them but he really didn't want to get in the way of Raichu right now so he left them be. If nothing else it would be a good way for Mudkip and Totodile to gain a bit of resistance against electric moves.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

Ash:

Kanto – Raichu, Meowth, Ivysaur, Wartortle, Charizard, Pidgeot, Kingler, Muk, Tauros(x29), Snorlax & Eevee (Shiny)

Johto – Totodile, Bayleaf, Cyndaquil, Heracross, Noctowl (Shiny), Phanpy & Sneasel

Hoenn – Mudkip, Nincada & Ralts


	5. Team Firestorm Appears

Happy New Year guys. I hope you all had very happy holidays.

Thanks for the reviews guys I really appreciate you taking the time to write one.

Here's chapter 5 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it.

"- Human speech

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

After a 15 minute chase Mudkip and Totodile were finally hit by Raichu, he hadn't hit them with a very powerful attack. It was more like a weak Thundershock, it was enough to hurt and make a point but not enough to seriously harm them. Afterwards Raichu had sat down grumpily on his own. Ash saw the look on the mouse's face and felt incredibly guilty as it was his fault this had happened. He opened the zipped pocket in his backpack and took out the bottle of ketchup he had hidden there. He walked over to his best friend and offered the bottle to Raichu. The mouse looked at the bottle dubiously, after what had happened earlier he was reluctant to take it. Ash wasn't surprised that Raichu wouldn't take it so he unscrewed the top and took a sip from the bottle. Ash screwed up his face as he swallowed the ketchup, he didn't mind the stuff when he put it on food but just having the stuff straight out of the bottle tasted awful. Ash looked at Raichu who was now chuckling and asked.

"How do you guzzled down a whole bottle of this at a time?"

Raichu shrugged and quickly snatched the bottle away from Ash and sat down next to Totodile and Mudkip. The trio started talking showing that there were no hard feelings and Raichu started downing the bottle. Ash went back to his backpack and took out a bar of chocolate to hopefully get rid of the taste of ketchup in his mouth. He sat down next to Ralts and Eevee placing the young Pokémon in his lap. They both looked at the bar of chocolate that Ash was eating wondering what it was. Ash saw the looks and broke a couple of tiny pieces off and placed the chocolate in their mouths. They let the chocolate dissolve in their mouths and Ash smiled as he saw the delighted looks on their faces. He gave them each another piece and then polished off the rest of the bar.

As it got late Ash looked at Totodile and Mudkip and saw that both of them still hadn't fully recovered from their incident with Raichu. Since they wouldn't get to Rotarka before night fell Ash chose to stay in the clearing and hopefully get to Rotarka Town tomorrow provided that nothing else delayed him.

* * *

By the morning Mudkip and Totodile had recovered from their shocking experience yesterday and Ash was able to continue his journey to Rotarka Town. To his surprise they had no interruptions all morning so they made good time. After a few hours of walking through the forest the woods started to thin and buildings started coming into view on the horizon. Ash knew that it was Rotarka Town which meant Eevee was going to have to be hidden again. As they got to the outskirts of the town Ash looked at Eevee sadly.

"It's time for you to hide in my coat Eevee."

She whined and looked up at him with sad wide eyes. The look broke Ash's heart, but he had to do this to keep her safe.

"I'm sorry Eevee but it is for your own protection."

She hung her head and whined again but allowed Ash to put her in the pocket. She wiggled around in the pocket trying to get as close to Ash as possible to try and feel some of the comfort and warmth that she felt in his embrace. Ash didn't like having to do this but until she could defend herself she was a target for thieves and he didn't want any harm to befall her.

He entered Rotarka Town and took a quick look around and saw that it was similar in many ways to Pallet Town. The only major difference was the small stadium in the centre of the town and the Pokémon Centre next to it. Since this would be a common Route for new trainers to take to Rustboro it made sense that a tournament would be set up to help them gain battle experience. Ash was just hoping that they weren't all new trainers because he wanted his new Pokémon to have a challenge. He knew his older ones would in all likelihood whitewash this so he wouldn't use them unless he knew it was a strong opponent.

After his quick tour of the town Ash walked down the high-street heading for the Pokémon Centre. He wanted Nurse Joy to check Ralts up for any other injuries she might have sustained. He was keeping said Pokémon shielded as much as possible, he had considered putting her in with Eevee but it would have been cramped and would have made Eevee even more miserable. He figured that Ralts would draw far less attention than Eevee, as long as nobody sees her bruised face. They managed to get to the Pokémon Centre with very few people stopping them. It was mostly people wanting to see the cute Ralts in his arms. To make sure people wouldn't see her injuries every time someone did stop them Ralts buried her face in Ash's shirt. He'd give the person an apologetic look and tell them that she's young and shy which they understood. Ash walked into the Pokémon Centre and went to the main desk handing his Pokéballs to Nurse Joy. He then explained what had happened to Ralts and Nurse Joy looked mortified at what Ash had told her. Ash tried handing over Eevee and Ralts but neither of them wanted to be parted from Ash. They only agreed to go when Raichu and Meowth assured them that they would be right by them all the time. It didn't take long for Nurse Joy to do the check ups and found they were all healthy and that Ralts had no other injuries which was a huge relief to Ash. He saw the leaflets advertising the tournament on the desk and after he calmed Eevee and Ralts down he turned his attention back to Nurse Joy.

"I'd like to sign up for the tournament Nurse Joy."

"Ok I'll just need your name and the four Pokémon you intend to use."

This surprised Ash, he didn't think he'd have to choose his Pokémon now.

"Do I have to choose now?"

"Yes the chosen Pokémon have to be registered with your application. It is done so that people can't get an advantage over their opponent."

Ash nodded. He understood the logic as newer trainers would learn nothing if they just relied on type advantage all the time. He stood in silence for a minute as he pondered who to use. He eventually managed to narrow his team down to 4.

"I'm ready to sign up Nurse Joy. I'm Ash Ketchum and I choose Mudkip, Sneasel, Cyndaquil and Raichu."

She nodded and entered the data into the computer.

"You are now registered. You have five days until the tournament begins."

"Thank you Nurse Joy. Are there any rules for the tournament?"

"It is double battles. The first trainer to lose all four Pokémon loses. The prize for winning is a mystery egg and a set of evolutionary stones"

Ash was shocked. He had expected the prize to be maybe some Great Balls or some Potions.

"Wow that's amazing, thanks again Nurse Joy."

Ash left the Pokémon Centre and began walking out of town again, he had considered finding somewhere to stay in the town but the clearing they'd been in last night was fine and had everything he'd need to train. As he walked back to the clearing he hoped that like today there were would be no distractions.

* * *

When he got back to the clearing they had stayed in yesterday he sent out all of his Pokémon and began telling them what their training will be.

"Totodile keep working on Hydro Pump, you were pretty close back at the ranch and I think you will have no problem perfecting it soon. Meowth work on Water Pulse, you have come a long way since you first started learning the move and I think with a little more practise you'll be able to use the attack. Cyndaquil and Phanpy work on your accuracy for Hidden Power. You have the power you just need to work on the direction. Mudkip we are gonna keep strengthening your tail-fin. Pidgeot if you think your wings are strong enough now start working on Close Combat. If a Staraptor can learn it then I have no doubt that you can to."

The Pokémon all nodded and started doing as Ash had instructed apart from Mudkip who had to wait for Ash to tie the rock to his tail-fin. Once the rock was attached he began running around the area as he had done yesterday. Raichu, Nincada and Sneasel were the only ones now waiting for instructions. He intended to find out the moves Sneasel and Nincada knew. Which left Raichu the problem being that Ash was unsure of to have him work on. After the tournament he was going to call Snorlax over to help him learn Hyper Beam. After a moments thought he got an idea.

"Raichu you need more variety in your moves so I think you should work on Brick Break."

The mouse nodded in agreement. As much as he hated to admit it his rather shallow set of offensive moves meant he would struggle against several opponents. A Fighting move would cover several of the types his Normal, Electric and Steel moves couldn't do much damage to.

"So do you think you'll be able to do that on your own while I work with Sneasel and Nincada?"

Again Raichu nodded. He remembered Charizard practising the move back and the ranch and he didn't think he'd have a problem replicating the move. Raichu scampered off to a separate part of the clearing and began working on Brick Break. This just left Sneasel and Nincada, Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned Nincada first.

"This Nincada is male and has the ability Compound Eyes. It knows the following moves Scratch, X-Scissor, Harden and Dig"

He hadn't honestly been expected to find much past X-Scissor and Dig due to him being a wild Pokémon.

"Well Nincada we've got to work on a couple of moves for you as it is a bit of a shallow move set right now. But I'm amazed that you knew X-Scissor, that is really impressive."

Nincada beamed at the praise. Before he got Nincada training Ash wanted to know how Nincada had gotten so strong. He called Meowth over so that he could talk with Nincada.

"Hey Nincada how long had you been on Route 104?"

The bug chattered a few times and Ash looked at Meowth

"He says he was there 2 years before you arrived."

Ash was amazed that he'd been there 2 years. It did explain how he'd gotten so strong. Ash started looking through the list of moves Nincada could learn and eventually decided on 2 moves.

"I think we should try Hidden Power so you have a ranged attack and Metal Claw which is a good coverage move. First we'll try Hidden Power since Phanpy and Cyndaquil are practising their accuracy with it right now you should train with them."

Nincada nodded and walked off to the area Phanpy an Cyndaquil were, they saw the bug coming towards them and stopped firing their attacks. Ash saw Phanpy and Cyndaquil instructing Nincada and knew he would learn it in no time.

"Thanks Meowth. I won't take anymore of your time."

The cat gave a quick nod and went back over to Totodile and started forming an orb of water in front of him. Ash then scanned Sneasel.

"This Sneasel is female and has the ability Inner Focus. She knows the following moves Ice Beam, Night Slash, Fake Out, Quick Attack, Iron Tail and Hone Claws."

Ash's eyes widened. Her old trainer must have taught her well.

"Well I am very impressed Sneasel. Did your old trainer teach you these moves?"

She blushed at the praise and shook her head.

"You mean you learned these moves all by yourself."

She nodded. Ash smiled and scratched behind her ear making Sneasel sigh in content.

"Looking at what you already know I think you should work with Raichu on Brick Break."

Sneasel shot up and ran over to Raichu. The pair began working together practising on the nearby boulders. As his Pokémon trained Ash sat down with Ralts and Eevee and watched his Pokémon train.

* * *

When it was around midday Ash started making lunch. He had been impressed at the improvement several of them had made. Ash saw Mudkip come and lay down next to him looking exhausted. He took the rock off his tail-fin and Mudkip instantly relaxed. Suddenly Ash and his Pokémon heard a scream, on instinct Ash returned his Pokémon and started sprinting to where it had come from. Ash passed through the thick forest and saw 2 men in uniforms which consisted of black trousers, a blood red shirt and a ice blue trench coat. The trench coat had the letter F on the back which was also blood red. The men had evil grins on their faces and were trapping a girl who was probably only eleven or twelve years old against a tree. The girl had long black hair which was tied into pigtails and her eyes were ice blue. She was wearing a white shirt, a dark blue jacket, blue jeans and a pair of running shoes. Both of the men were closing in one her, she slid down the tree and started sobbing and shaking violently. Ash yelled at the pair.

"Leave her alone you scum."

The men turned around to see who had interrupted them and snorted.

"Get out of here kid, we haven't got the time to waste on a weakling like you."

He sent a glare at the men.

"I said let her go."

"Nice try kid but you're not going to intimidate us. We are members of Team Firestorm and we won't be scared by a kid. Now this is your last warning leave now or else."

Ash knew that unlike Team Rocket these guys were no joke they were truly evil he could tell by the look in their eyes. They both saw that Ash was not leaving so they both threw a poke ball revealing a Corphish and a Numel, both of whom wore sinister grins just like their masters. One of the men then spotted the shiny Eevee in Ash's arms.

"Hey kid give us the Eevee and you and the girl can go."

Ash instinctively tightened his grip on Eevee and Ralts and pulled 2 Pokéballs off his belt.

"Hell no. Nincada, Pidgeot to the battlefield."

They appeared in a flash of light and looked at their opponents who still had the same sinister look on their faces. Ash once again handed the young Pokémon to Raichu who placed them on the ground and stood in front of them his cheeks sparking. Meowth also stood in front of the children extending his claws.

"Corphish hit that pathetic bug with Bubblebeam."

"Numel scorch the bird with Flamethrower."

"Pidgeot strafe left and use Aerial Ace and Nincada use Dig then X-Scissor."

Corphish shot a large stream of bubbles at Nincada who quickly dug underground making the bubbles harmlessly pass over the hole he had created. Meanwhile Numel shot a burst of flames at Pidgeot who easily dodged the attack and then shot towards the camel. She slammed into him and sent him flying back, Nincada then burst out of the ground with his forearms crossed in front of him and he slashed Numel which sent him crashing back to the ground. He got up but his rear left leg was shaking. The members of Team Firestorm growled angrily.

"Corphish use Crabhammer on that worthless bug."

"Pidgeot intercept with Quick Attack. Nincada X-Scissor on Corphish."

"Numel go for another Flamethrower."

Corphish ran at Nincada who was still falling to the ground after his previous attack. Corphish threw his right claw forward but instead of hitting Nincada he was matched by Pidgeot who was matching Corphish's power. The two remained deadlocked until Pidgeot was hit by a burst of flames, which provided enough of a distraction for Corphish to charge up a Crabhammer in its other claw and slam it straight into Pidgeot's gut. She quickly put some distance between her and Corphish so she could back to recover. Nincada seeing his chance ran forward and hit Corphish with X-Scissor making the crab stagger back and put a claw on the large gash along the right hand side of his body. Nincada and Pidgeot were now back in front of Ash and were pretty much fully fit. Corphish and Numel on the other hand were now struggling to stand, the gash created by Nincada's X-Scissor was seriously limiting Corphish's movement and Numel's rear left leg was now in an even worse state than it had been after his collision with the ground. Ash smirked as he knew that he had this battle won.

"It's over for you both now, Nincada jump on Pidgeot's back."

Nincada sent a confused look at Ash wondering what that would achieve but quickly accepted that his trainer had a plan so he did as he was told. The second he was on her back Pidgeot ascended back into the sky going quite high which was unnerving Nincada who preferred to have his feet firmly on the ground.

"Now throw Nincada at Corphish and speed him up with Gust and Nincada use X-Scissor."

The bug's eyes widened clearly not liking this plan. He had no chance to argue as he was thrown off of Pidgeot's back and could feel the wind behind him accelerating him. Since there was no way of stopping what was happening he decided to just go with it and crossed his front forelegs in front of him. His claws slammed into Corphish and due to the immense speed Nincada was going Corphish was sent careening back into Numel sending them both sprawling.

"Now Pidgeot finish it with Brave Bird."

Pidgeot tucked her wings in and flew at the prone Pokémon who had no chance to escape their fate and Pidgeot slammed into them, knocking them both out. The members of Team Firestorm quickly returned their defeated Pokémon and started running hoping they'd escape but there was no way Ash was gonna let them get away.

"Oh no you don't, Raichu use Thunder Wave."

Raichu shot some electricity at the fleeing men and it made them both collapse to the ground unable to move a muscle. Now that they had been stopped Ash walked over to the girl who was still shaking on the ground. Ash placed his hand gently on her shoulder and softly said.

"Hey, it's ok I've beaten them now you're going to be fine."

The girl looked up at him with tear filled eyes which were now red from her sobbing. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Ash while crying into his shirt. Ash held her tightly and rubbed her back trying to sooth her as she cried, eventually she calmed down enough to talk coherently.

"T-t-t-hank you s-s-so much for s-saving me. If you hadn't have c-c-come along I don't know what they'd have done."

"It's no problem. Hey Pidgeot can you go back to Rotarka Town and get Officer Jenny for me?"

Pidgeot nodded and took off back towards the town. When she was out of sight Ash looked back to the girl he'd saved she was still letting out a few whimpers but her shaking had stopped.

"Hey what's your name?"

"My name is Vanya. What is yours?"

"I'm Ash. Are you ok? They didn't hurt you did they?"

"No I'm fine thanks to you. My Pokémon on the other hand are hurt. We were training and when they were tired those men attacked. My Pokémon hadn't had a chance to recover so they were quickly beaten."

"Don't worry about that. If you want you can come with me to my camp and I'll see if I can heal them up."

A small smile was now on her face and she wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"Thank you that would be great."

Ash smiled back.

"No problem."

Officer Jenny arrived not long after on her bike, she handcuffed the 2 men and thanked Ash for his help. After the men had been taken away, Vanya picked up her back pack and Ash returned his Pokémon. He picked up Eevee and Ralts and led Vanya back to his camp. He was shocked to find that it was exactly how he had left it, which considering he had been in the process of making lunch was amazing. He had honestly been expecting to see the food to be gone and the camp to be a mess. Before continuing lunch Ash decided to take a look at Vanya's Pokémon and see how they were. Upon checking them he found a couple had some minor wounds that needed healing but other than that they were just suffering from exhaustion which a good nights sleep would cure.

Ash and Vanya spent the rest of the day talking about their experiences as trainers. Shortly after the evening meal Ash saw that Vanya had fallen asleep, but considering what had happened today it was hardly surprising. He very gently picked her up and placed her in his sleeping bag. After making sure she was comfortable he went and sat in the shade of a tree with Eevee and Ralts. As he sat there he felt something hit him on the back of the head and when he turned around he saw that it was Nincada who began talking very quickly and from the tone very angrily. Ash looked at Meowth who was listening intently.

"So what did he just say?"

"Well let's just say dat he's pissed at dat last move you pulled."

"Sorry Nincada."

Nincada waved a forearm at him and lied down in the shade. Ash looked around and everyone was relaxing in the lake or lying in the shade, Ash let them be he knew that training could postponed for a day and he wanted Vanya to get some rest as she needed it. He looked down and saw that Eevee and Ralts had now fallen asleep. The sight made him smile and he closed his eyes joining them in slumber.

* * *

Next morning Vanya's eyes fluttered open. She could tell that it was early, much earlier than she usually awoke. As she sat up she realised now that she was in a sleeping bag and knew that Ash must have put her in it. She looked around the area they were in and saw Ash training with his Pokémon. He was doing push ups and his Eevee and Ralts were sat on his back making both of them giggle. She stretched her arms out and got up, she walked over to him and as she approached Ash saw her out the corner of his eye.

"Ah good morning. You're up early. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah I did thanks."

Ash did a couple more push ups and then stopped, Eevee and Ralts jumped off his back and Ash went into a sitting position the young Pokémon then leapt into his lap and nuzzled him. Vanya looked at the two young Pokémon sat in Ash's lap.

"Those two are very affectionate towards you."

Ash started scratching behind Eevee's ears with one hand while he gently stroked Ralts' hair with the other.

"Yeah well I hatched Eevee so I guess I'm a father to her and I saved Ralts' life a couple of days ago so I guess she's really grateful."

Ash felt Ralts tug on his shirt, he looked down and saw her shake her head confusing the young trainers. She then started pointing from herself to Eevee and then to Ash. Vanya was still confused at the young Pokémon's actions however Ash had a pretty good feeling that he knew what she meant. Vanya looked quizzically at Ash and asked.

"What is she saying?"

"I think she's saying that she sees me as a father too."

Ralts nodded and nuzzled him again.

"So you're a parent of two?"

They heard Phanpy cry out in the distance.

"Actually it's three."

They looked at Phanpy who was pouting.

"Yes Phanpy I know I'm your father too."

Phanpy instantly perked up and cried out happily. Vanya giggled at the interaction between Ash and his Pokémon, she thought it was very sweet seeing someone who had such a close bond to his Pokémon. She was broken out of her thought when Ash started talking again.

"So I was thinking I'd get you to Rotarka Town today so you can meet up with your brother. I'm sure he'll be worried about you."

"Yes Thalion will be, he is a bit overprotective of me."

"Well he is your older brother so it's not surprising. Right I'll go get breakfast sorted and then we can get going."

* * *

After breakfast Ash and Vanya returned their Pokémon and began walking back to Rotarka Town. When they got back to the town they headed straight for the Pokémon centre thinking it would be the best place to start searching for Thalion. When they entered a man quickly ran up to Vanya and pulled her into a bone crushing hug which she returned.

"Vanya there you are I've been so worried about you."

The boy who Ash now assumed to be Thalion had long Blonde hair which was tied into a pony tail, his eyes like his sister's were ice blue, he wore a blue shirt, a black jacket and blue jeans he also wore running shoes, a black bandana with a poke ball on it and had black fingerless gloves. He was about the same height as Ash making him believe that Thalion was about the same age as him.

"It's good to see you too big brother, but can you please let me go."

Thalion reluctantly released his little sister from the embrace. Ash turned around and walked towards the exit. He thought that they would probably want some privacy. As he was about to leave he felt a hand pull him back. He turned around and saw Vanya looking up at him and she asked.

"Ash where are you going?"

"I was just going to give you both some alone time."

She playfully swatted him.

"Don't be silly."

She kept a tight hold of his arm and practically dragged Ash over to her brother.

"Ash this is Thalion, Thalion this is Ash."

The young trainers shook hands.

"It's good to meet you Ash."

"You too Thalion, Vanya has told me a lot about you."

"Nothing bad I hope."

Both boys chuckled.

"So how do you know Vanya?"

"Well..."

Ash and Vanya told Thalion their story. From when the men first attacked her to Ash coming and saving her. Ash looked into Thalion's eyes and saw several emotions relief, gratitude, fear and strangely Ash thought he saw a bit of guilt which confused him. When they had finished telling Thalion what had happened he wrapped his sister in another hug, after a while he released her and looked at Ash.

"Thanks for rescuing my sister. She means the world to me I don't know what I would have had something happened to her."

There it was again, that look of guilt. Ash was guessing that he blamed himself for not being there to protect his sister. Ash chuckled at the thought as he knew that's exactly how he'd have felt.

"It's no problem I'm just glad I got there in time to help."

Vanya wanting to change the subject asked.

"So are you competing in the tournament Ash?"

"Yeah I am. Are you two?"

"Yep we both are."

"Well hopefully we'll get to battle."

As much as Ash had enjoyed the company of the siblings he knew that he needed to get back to training. He'd lost a lot of time due to various interruptions since he'd got to Hoenn and it would take a lot of work to catch up on all that lost time.

"Well guys I need to get going. I need to get some more training done for the tournament."

"Yeah we need to do the same. Thanks again Ash for saving my sister."

"It's no problem. I'll see you both at the tournament."

Ash and Thalion shook hands once again and Vanya hugged Ash. They left the Pokémon Centre and went their separate ways to train for the tournament. The thought of battling the siblings he'd just met excited Ash especially the thought of battling Thalion as he could tell by the way Thalion carried himself that he'd be a challenge.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

Ash:

Kanto – Pikachu, Meowth, Ivysaur, Wartortle, Charizard, Pidgeot, Kingler, Muk, Tauros(x29), Snorlax & Eevee (Shiny)

Johto – Totodile, Bayleaf, Cyndaquil, Heracross, Noctowl (Shiny), Phanpy & Sneasel

Hoenn – Mudkip, Nincada & Ralts


	6. Rotarka Town Tournament - Ash vs Vanya

Thanks for the reviews guys I really appreciate you taking the time to write one.

Here's chapter 6 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it.

"- Human speech

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Ash quickly walked back to the clearing and sent everyone out. Ash had spent so long talking with Vanya and Thalion that by the time he got back to the clearing it was time for dinner. Since it would soon be dark Ash told everyone to relax and they would start training tomorrow morning. His Pokémon seemed happy with that and all settled down waiting for Ash to make their evening meals. They didn't have to wait long an dafter they all scoffed their food they settled down to get rested for the training tomorrow. The next morning Ash woke up knowing that they would have to get some serious training done. They had missed out on a lot of training due to various interruptions and they really needed to make up for the lost time. When they finished their breakfasts the Pokémon looked at Ash waiting for him to tell them what they were doing today.

"All right guys we look to have some serious competition. Both Vanya and her brother Thalion are going to be a challenge. So I want you all to continue the training you had been doing before we met Vanya."

Ash watched as his Pokémon ran off to various areas to continue training, he saw how easily Mudkip was moving with the rock attached to his tail-fin and knew that he was ready to start learning Iron Tail which hopefully Raichu would help him master. Ash turned his attention to his other Pokémon Cyndaquil, Phanpy and Nincada were still working on Hidden Power. Nincada had learned pretty quickly from the others and was now working on his accuracy like they were. Although to say his control was erratic would be an understatement but in time it would be just as Cyndaquil or Phanpy's. He then saw Totodile who was happily dancing. Ash smiled knowing that Totodile must have perfected Hydro Pump. Totodile was ecstatic that he had just gotten Hydro Pump down, he knew when he used it against that guy on the boat that he needed to work on it and he was delighted that he had perfected it. Ash walked over to the him applauding him.

"Great job Totodile. Listen I'm working on a new move for you so in the meantime can you try charging Ice Punch into both arms?"

Totodile nodded and started encasing both his arms in ice. Ash finally looked at Pidgeot who was pummelling a rock and causing quite a bit of damage. Ash felt a bit smug knowing that his theory had been right. After all if a Staraptor could use Close Combat then there was no reason why Pidgeot couldn't do the same.

"Way to go Pidgeot. I knew you could do it."

She cried out happily and wrapped a wing around Ash as she nuzzled him. He laughed as her feathers tickled him and he stroked her crest. He then heard a couple of voices below him. He looked down and saw 2 pouting young Pokémon Pidgeot released him and Ash picked them up and gave them a tight squeeze. They smiled and nestled their heads into his shirt. Ash left Pidgeot who had started striking the boulder again and called out.

"Hey Raichu, Mudkip and Totodile can you come here please."

Although Ash knew he had told Totodile to work on Ice Punch he wanted Mudkip to learn Iron Tail and having Totodile help Raichu train him he'd have no trouble learning it. They stood in front of Ash and he took the rock off of Mudkip's tail-fin.

"It's time for you to start learning Iron Tail Mudkip. I really am proud of you as you have worked so hard in these past few days. Totodile, Raichu would you mind helping him out?"

Both nodded and led Mudkip away from the main group and began demonstrating the move. Ash laughed at the look of horror on Mudkip's face when Raichu launched a powerful Thunderbolt at Totodile. He laughed even harder at the shocked look he pulled when Totodile came out unscathed.

* * *

The training followed the same pattern for the next 2 days. Once Mudkip had started using Iron Tail Raichu and Totodile left him to it and began training together with Sneasel and the trio all started exchanging attacks. As he watched his Pokémon train Ash was feeling a little guilty. He hadn't had the time to do some training with his Pokémon on a 1 to 1 basis as he had done back in Pallet Town. But Eevee and Ralts needed his attention so he had spent most of his time with them. When they were a bit older he would be able to take the time to help every one of his Pokémon individually. Time flew by and before any of them knew it they had been training for 4 days. With the tournament starting tomorrow Ash had his Pokémon do some last minute training before lunch. He'd been surprised how well his new Pokémon had done Mudkip learned Iron Tail in no time and Nincada had learned how to use Hidden Power although his control of the move wasn't great. Ash looked at the time and saw that it was about lunch time so he started making their meals. The smell of the food made his Pokémon stop battling and they ran over to Ash. He looked at his Pokémon and chuckled as he saw their mouths watering. He put the finishing touches on the meal and said.

"Alright guys it's time for lunch."

They quickly snatched their food away and started scoffing it. After lunch Ash packed up camp and walked back to Rotarka Town so he could get a room in the Pokémon Centre and rest up for the tournament. He got back to Rotarka Town in time for the evening meal in the Pokémon Centre's cafeteria. After filling his stomach he walked to the main desk and asked Nurse Joy for a room. He was lucky as there were only a few rooms left due to people being here for the tournament. He took the key from Nurse Joy and went to his room. After letting all of Pokémon out they all fell to sleep.

* * *

Ash woke up early the next morning. The anticipation of today's tournament making him wake up earlier than usual. He couldn't wait to battle Thalion and Vanya as he had been looking for a challenge ever since he had started his training back in Pallet Town and hopefully they would give him that challenge. Ash looked at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was only 5:30. He did think about trying to get back to sleep but he knew it was pointless. He was far to excited to sleep. So he just started his daily routine instead which began with his physical training. He made sure to keep quiet so he wouldn't wake up his Pokémon, they needed all the rest they could get for the tournament today.

Ash finished his exercises and looked at the clock again. He was annoyed to find that only 45 minutes had passed which meant he still had over an hour to kill. He went to the bathroom and then got dressed but still had over an hour to kill. Since he had nothing else to do Ash got his Pokédex and started looking through his it for potential moves to teach his Pokémon in the future. As he looked through the lists he felt something rub against his leg. He looked down and to his surprise saw that Eevee had woken up. Ash leant down and picked her up placing her in his lap. Eevee looked at the strange object in Ash's hand wondering what it was. He smiled as he saw the confused look on her face.

"This is a Pokédex it tells me things like what moves you can learn."

Eevee nodded. She was interested to see that she was the Pokémon displayed at the minute.

"I was just looking at future moves to teach you when you're ready. But don't worry you are not going to be battling for a long while."

She seemed happy at that and nuzzled Ash who hugged her in return. Eevee then accidentally hit a button on the Pokédex and the picture changed to show the 8 Eeveelutions, she looked at them curiously.

"These are the various Pokémon you can evolve into. Always remember that you don't have to evolve if you don't want to. If you wanted to stay as an Eevee I wouldn't mind at all. The only thing that matters to me is that you're happy."

Eevee nodded again.

"One thing you should also know is that you're colours would be different to them."

Eevee looked at Ash bemused.

"You see you are a very special Eevee. You are what we call a shiny Pokémon which means you are a different colours to most of your kind. Let me see if can get the shiny version of your evolutions on the screen."

Ash pressed a few buttons and managed to get the shiny version of them on the screen. Ash selected Jolteon first.

"How about I go through all of them and you can choose which ones you like? Like I said before if you don't like any of them you don't have to evolve."

Eevee nodded and Ash began telling her about every one of the Eeveelutions as their image appeared on the screen. As he shifted through them she shook her head at Jolteon, Flareon, Vaporeon and Espeon. She nodded her head at Umbreon which he found surprising. He then flicked to Leafeon and Sylveon which from Eevee's reaction were the most disliked so far. Ash finally got to the Ice type Glaceon, when she saw what she would look like as a Glaceon Eevee started yipping and nodding.

"So you like Glaceon the most. Well when you start training we can start preparing you to evolve into Glaceon."

Eevee nuzzled Ash again. As he held her Ash wasn't sure how they were going to do that. From what he knew from his time spent with Professor Oak there were only a few known places that evolving into Glaceon would be possible. Sadly to his knowledge none of those places were in Hoenn. The only thing Ash could so would be to talk to Professor Oak about this. If anyone could think of a way to achieve this it would be him. He heard a soft snoring below him, when he looked down he saw that Eevee had fallen back to sleep. Ash smiled at the adorable sight and gently stroked her fur.

Ash didn't know how long he had sat there with Eevee in his lap. When he finally looked at the clock and saw that he had lost track of time as it was now 8:15. He cursed himself for not paying attention to the time, he quickly woke all his Pokémon up and got them ready for the battles they would be having later. He looked through his pack and saw that he'd need to restock after the tournament which wasn't a problem as he had a lot of money that he hadn't known about that he had earned during his journeys through Kanto, the Orange Archipelago and Johto.

* * *

When everyone had eaten their breakfast Ash returned them and walked out of the Pokémon Centre towards the stadium. He had chosen to keep Eevee out today as with Raichu and Meowth here he would have no problem keeping her safe and after seeing the heartbroken look she had on her face yesterday when he had hidden her he knew he couldn't do that to her again. As he walked to the stadium Ash knew that he'd be incredibly early but he didn't mind waiting. His mother had always told him it's better to be an hour early than a minute late. After a short walk to the stadium Ash leaned against a wall and began talking with his Pokémon. Meowth joining him had been one of the best things that had happened as due to him being able to translate for him Ash was able to have much more in-depth conversations with his Pokémon. After an hour or so Ash saw Vanya and Thalion approaching and ended the conversation with his Pokémon.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Ash. You ready to battle." Thalion replied.

"Yeah I am. You guys better not lose until I get to battle you."

"The same to you Ash."

The trio talked for a while to pass the time. As it got closer to 10:00 more and more people were gathering outside the stadium. Then at the stroke of 10:00 the doors were opened and the competitors walked into the stadium. Ash looked to the stands and was surprised how many people had turned out to watch what was a relatively small competition which consisted of in general novice trainers. Ash turned his attention back to the stage when he saw a man approach the microphone.

"Attention everyone. Before we start the tournament there are a few rules that must be explained. First thing you all have to do is send out the four Pokémon you will use for this tournament so your opponents can see them."

Ash took Sneasel, Cyndaquil and Mudkip's Pokéballs off his belt and sent them out and Raichu jumped off Ash's shoulder and stood alongside the trio. Ash looked around at his competitors and was generally disappointed with what he saw it was mostly starters, Wurmple's, Zigzagoon's, Poochyena's and the odd Lotad the only exceptions being Thalion and Vanya who like Ash had more unusual Pokémon. They heard the man say a few more basic rules for the new trainers. Once he was done explaining the rules the man looked at a board to his right.

"Here is the board that tells you who you will be battling."

The trio looked at the board and saw that Thalion was on one side of the table and Ash and Vanya were on the other side so Ash would battle Vanya and then the winner would face Thalion. They were disappointed that there were no other trainers that would provide them with a challenge as beating beginners would not offer any worthwhile training for their Pokémon.

* * *

Ash's battle was first he took his place and and looked at his opponent who looked terrified. He was obviously a new trainer who knew he didn't stand a chance. Ash felt kind of bad that he had to do this, but he wanted to battle Thalion and Vanya as soon as possible so he had to finish this quick. A few minutes and four easy knock out's later Ash looked at his opponent who looked crushed. Ash was going to go and talk to the boy but he ran out of the stadium before he got the chance. After Ash's battle Thalion and Vanya beat their opponents just as easily. After watching each other battle Ash and Thalion couldn't wait to have their battle. Ash, Thalion and Vanya swept through their next opponents just as easily as the first which left Thalion against another beginner trainer who he obliterated and Ash against Vanya.

"This battle is between Vanya Robbo and Ash Ketchum. The winner of this match will face Thalion Robbo in the final. Trainers choose your Pokémon."

"Ok Sneasel, Mudkip take to the battlefield."

The pair walked forward looking focussed.

"Skitty, Marill you're up first."

They walked forward with the same look of determination.

"Marill use Water Gun and Skitty hit Sneasel with Doubleslap."

"Mudkip counter with your Water Gun, Sneasel grab Skitty's tail at the last minute and throw her then use Ice Beam."

Marill shot a blast of water at Sneasel but Mudkip jumped in front of him and used his own Water Gun. The jets of water collided and neither Pokémon was able to gain an advantage. Meanwhile Skitty ran at Sneasel with her tail glowing as Sneasel stood still waiting for her moment to attack. Skitty swung her tail at Sneasel's body but the Sneasel was too fast and grabbed her tail before it made contact. Before Skitty had time to recover from her shock she was thrown and went skidding along the ground. Sneasel then formed a pale blue orb in her hands and fired a beam of ice at Skitty who got to her feet in time for the beam to hit her and send her crashing into the stadium wall.

"Mudkip charge through the water and use Iron Tail."

Mudkip kept firing his Water Gun to match Marill's but was gradually moving forward. When he got close enough he did as Raichu had shown him and leapt in the air and his tail-fin became metallic.

"Marill Headbutt."

Marill used his tail as a springboard and shot himself into the air straight at Mudkip who was now descending towards him with his tail-fin. The attacks met and Marill's Headbutt easily beat back the Iron Tail and sent Mudkip flying through the air and he crashed down next to Ash. Marill managed to land on his feet however he quickly but an arm to his head showing that Iron Tail had done some damage to him.

"Sneasel Quick Attack to get close then Iron Tail."

"Skitty Assist."

Sneasel shot off at incredible speed at Skitty. As Sneasel charged at Skitty a white orb appeared on Skitty's front paw and a horde of razor-sharp leaves were shot from it. Sneasel used her quickness to duck and weave her way through the leaves although a few did connect making a few small cuts. Sneasel ran past the last few leaves and appeared in front of a stunned Skitty. Sneasel's tail then turned metallic and she slammed it down on Skitty's head. The cat cried out in pain and backed away. She lied down while rubbing her head trying to soothe the pain now shooting through her. Ash looked at Skitty who had managed to get back to her feet but was clearly struggling to stand and he was certain he could get rid of Skitty now but it may mean that Mudkip will take a bad hit.

"Mudkip hit Skitty with Water Gun and Sneasel Dig then Night Slash."

"Skitty dodge the Water Gun, Marill use Rollout on Mudkip."

Sneasel dug underground and Mudkip shot a jet of water at Skitty, the cat saw the attack coming and leapt to her right easily dodging the water. Marill then rolled into a ball and slammed into Mudkip sending him crashing back towards Ash. Sneasel then burst out of the ground and her claws turned pitch black and slashed down Skitty's right side. The attack created a gash and she collapsed from the pain and was in no way able to keep battling.

"Skitty is unable to battle, choose your next Pokémon."

Vanya returned Skitty sad that she'd fallen for an obvious ruse. She silently promised to avenge her.

"Combusken it's your turn."

The fire type walked on to the battlefield and Ash knew he had to get Sneasel off the battlefield as she was very vulnerable to attacks from Combusken. All keeping her out would result in her being knocked out.

"Sneasel I'm switching you, Cyndaquil take to the battlefield."

They swapped places, Sneasel was disappointed but could understand the logic as there was very little she could do against either of Vanya's Pokémon. Mudkip had gotten back up and looked ready to continue. Although Ash could see that Mudkip was injured the determination in his eyes made Ash decide against returning him.

"Cyndaquil stop Marill with Flame Wheel and Mudkip use Water Gun."

"Combusken jump and hit Mudkip with Brick Break then Blaze Kick."

Cyndaquil rolled into a ball and became engulfed in flames, he then charged full speed at Marill and despite being at a type disadvantage he pushed Marill back and forced him to break away and jump back near Vanya. Meanwhile Mudkip shot another stream of water at Combusken who easily jumped over it, her hand glowed and she slammed it down on Mudkip's head making him cry out. Her leg then became engulfed in flames and she kicked Mudkip sending him into the air and making him crash to the ground again.

"Combusken Double Kick."

"Intercept with Flame Wheel."

"Marill use Rollout again."

Combusken began running at Mudkip who hadn't managed to get back to his feet. Cyndaquil rolled into a ball again and went to block Combusken's attack but Marill blocked him off. Like before Marill was overpowered but he had prevented Cyndaquil from stopping Combusken who hit Mudkip with the kicks and sent him skidding along the ground coming to a stop in front of Ash clearly unable to continue.

"Mudkip is unable to battle, choose your next Pokémon."

Ash returned Mudkip and thanked him for his efforts, he looked to his best friend as he knew sending Sneasel back out would be suicide. Raichu saw the look and walked on to the battlefield, this would be his first real battle since he evolved and he was excited to see how much he had improved.

"Raichu Volt Tackle, Cyndaquil block Combusken with Quick Attack then use Swift."

"Marill Rollout to get away and Combusken use Brick Break."

Raichu became surrounded in electricity and charged at Marill. Cyndaquil shot ahead of him straight at Combusken who's hand glowed again and the 2 attacks clashed which knocked them both back. Cyndaquil quickly recovered and shot a horde of stars at Combusken which created several cuts on her body. Meanwhile Marill had rolled into a ball but was far to slow and Raichu slammed into him and knocked him out immediately.

"Marill is unable to battle send out your last Pokémon."

The Roselia next to Vanya walked on to the battlefield looking cocky.

"Stun Spore."

"Cyndaquil Counter Shield."

Roselia released an orange powder from the flowers on her hands at Cyndaquil and Raichu hoping to paralyze them. As the powder got close Cyndaquil got on his back and started spinning while using Flamethrower creating a vortex that burnt the spores which nullified the attack. Ash smirked at the astonished expressions on many people's faces.

"Toxic."

Cyndaquil had only just stopped spinning and Ash knew he wouldn't have the time to dodge the poison so Ash hoped what he did against Team Rocket would work here.

"Raichu use Thundershock to stop it."

Ash chose Thundershock as due to Cyndaquil's proximity to the poison a big explosion would catch him in the blast which would be just as bad as him being hit by the poison.

"Combusken counter with Flamethrower."

Roselia fired some poisoned liquid from her flowers at Cyndaquil. Raichu fired a Thundershock at the poison but it was intercepted by Combusken's Flamethrower making the 2 attacks cancel each other out, this allowed the Toxic to drench Cyndaquil who cried out as the poison flooded his system. He got to his feet but the poison was clearly having a bad effect on him and he coughed up some purple ooze.

"Cyndaquil you ok to continue?"

Cyndaquil nodded although Ash could tell he was putting on a strong front. But if he wanted to keep going then Ash would have faith in him.

"Flame Wheel and try to keep it up until Roselia faints."

"Stop him with Sludge Bomb."

Cyndaquil rolled into a ball again and was engulfed in flames he charged at Roselia who fired a Sludge Bomb at him but he easily dodges it, he then slammed into her, she staggered back but stayed on her feet. Cyndaquil then hit her left flank and she fired another Sludge Bomb in that direction, but again she missed, Cyndaquil was just moving to fast for her and not long after she ran out of strength and she collapsed unable to continue. Cyndaquil stopped rolling and stifled a yelp as the toxic in his system caused him more pain and nearly made him collapse.

"Roselia is unable to battle."

"Cyndaquil come back you don't need to take any unnecessary damage from the poison. Raichu can do this on his own."

He nodded and walked back to Ash happy that he could rest, this left Raichu and Combusken on the battlefield. Sneasel was about to join the battle but Raichu glanced at her and Sneasel knew that look meant he wanted to fight on his own.

"Raichu Thunderbolt."

"Flamethrower."

Raichu fired a bolt of electricity and Combusken shot a burst of flames, the burst of blames and the bolt of electricity clashed and created an explosion which shrouded the battlefield in smoke. Combusken fell to one knee as she was exhausted.

"Iron Tail."

Combusken looked up and saw Raichu run through the smoke, he slammed his now metallic tail on her skull making her fall face first to the ground, Raichu walked back towards Ash assuming that it was over but he then felt heat radiating from behind him. He looked back at Combusken who was pushing herself up and flames engulfed her showing that her Blaze ability had been activated.

"Combusken Blaze Kick."

"Thunder Punch."

Combusken charged at Raichu and launched a kick at him however the fatigue she was feeling and the quick reflexes of Raichu made her miss, she was then launched into the air by an electric infused uppercut. Combusken crashed to the ground but to everyone's surprise she somehow managed to get to her feet. Ash admired the determination she was showing but it time to end this.

"Now grab Combusken's leg and throw her."

This was something Ash had been training Raichu to do as due to his now elongated tail Raichu was able to do a lot more with his tail than he could do as a Pikachu. He wrapped his tail around Combusken's leg who was too tired to try to counter the move and Raichu span her round, when he gained enough momentum he let go of her leg and she slammed straight into the wall which finally knocked her out.

"Combusken is unable to battle, Ash Ketchum advances to the final and will battle Thalion Robbo."

Ash and Vanya walked across the battlefield and thanked each other for a great battle, she gave Ash a hug and walked back to Thalion. Ash and Thalion met each other's gaze and smirked both looking forward to a great battle.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

Ash:

Kanto – Pikachu, Meowth, Ivysaur, Wartortle, Charizard, Pidgeot, Kingler, Muk, Tauros(x29), Snorlax & Eevee (Shiny)

Johto – Totodile, Bayleaf, Cyndaquil, Heracross, Noctowl (Shiny), Phanpy & Sneasel

Hoenn – Mudkip, Nincada & Ralts


End file.
